A Mix of Fairy Tale Cocktail
by Black Gargie
Summary: An AU fic. This is a combination of some of our great Disney fairy tale stories like 'Beauty & the Beast', 'Little Mermaid' and 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' all in one, with a slight twist, and who better to play the role than the casts of MMx? XD FIN!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Couldn't help but think that a good mix-up between fairy tales and MMx would be sensational. So, begging your pardon, but me ideas have to fly!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            Once upon a time (as all fairy tale stories go), there lived a boy named Maxwell Deanhart living in a nice, quaint and quiet village near the jetty where loads of ships go in and out of the sea. Max was well-known among the village people as the most handsome youngster among his peers. Many girls adore him, and he was an idol to females both young and old. He was the kind of boy all other boys want to be.

            There was one flaw in his really cute and handsome attire—he was _way_ too adventurous to be living in a quiet village of people who were content with what they have right now. He loved to read comics about battles, good against evil and justice, and has a very vivid imagination, which was quite a problem. His looks didn't go parallel with his attitude, and girls love and hate him at the same time. The village people thought of it as a shame for he was an upright lad and really right for marriage. The only place he would ever visit throughout this whole provincial village was a worn-out comic bookshop which had seen better days, but sells and rent the best collectors' edition comic books and graphic novels about Max's favourite superheroes and villains. The shopkeeper (who was a retiree and a great fan of comic books himself) was kind enough to open the shop just for him to hang out and read, rent or buy his comics, and I tell you, Max could hang out in there for hours when he was younger until his mother had to drag him home. 

            The only people who could ever tolerate his behaviour were his best friends Bea and Felix. Secretly, Bea had a crush on him and hoped very much for Max to woo her. But she wasn't too hopeful because she was the daughter of a poor carpenter, and carpenters' daughters don't get to marry well-off people like Max, and an even well-off person like Felix (son of a wealthy merchant) would be an even far cry from that.

            "You ought to pull yourself together, Max!" Bea complained one day when Max and the gang were hanging out at the jetty watching the ships coming in and out. "Tomorrow night's the courting ceremony and you have to attend it so that you can find your suitable wife! It has been 3 years in a row and you've failed to grab any lucky girl because of your attitude!"

            "I don't exactly want to marry anyone of them," Max sighed tiredly. "If I want to marry someone, I want to marry a…"

            "A princess from a far unknown destination of paradise," Bea and Felix said in unison before Felix groaned. "Come off it, Max! There is no way you're gonna marry some mysterious princess out there! Even if there is that kind of princess, you'll never fit in! You're no son of a duchess or something, just a son of a famous and quite rich sailor cum merchant."

            "Anything can happen," Max replied, his eyes full of hope.

                                                                        *

            "You are going to attend that courting ceremony whether you like it or not, young man!"

            Max rolled his eyes when his mother, Virginia Deanhart, gave him a sound yelling. The courting ceremony, to this village, was a part and parcel of their tradition. All bachelors and bachelorettes can attend the ceremony and choose the woman or man of their dreams. Since the age of 18, Max had been dragged to that boring ceremony, only to slip away without a bride 3 years in a row. Now that he's 21, his mother was worried. 

            "But, Mom, I told you, I'm not interested in anyone yet! None of the girls appealed to me. I don't find them attractive at all…"

            "That kind of attitude has made you single for the past 3 years, Max. You can't go running away like that anymore! Now, I've got the suit ready for you. You have to go, and I don't want to hear you wandering near the sea again, is that clear?"

            Max sighed as he took the clean, pressed suit handed by his mother. Virginia had always had a grudge with the sea. The sea had killed his father, Blake, when he went on a voyage with his partners Norman and Scott. At that time, legends of mermaids abundant at sea were pretty famous, and his mother had heard a rumour about Blake being lured by mermaids to his death. But Norman told Max that it was a strong wave that swept him away. His other partner Scott was also lost at sea and presumed dead. Max had seen Scott during his younger years—he was a sinister-looking guy with the coldest and most unkind eyes he had ever seen, and he was often afraid of him. Now that Blake was long gone, Norman sold the business to Blake's relatives and became Max's butler.

            Max took the suit up to his secret attic. In this attic was a collection of marvelous things from the sea, like corals, starfish, frames made out of all kinds of seashells, etc, etc. Unknown to Virginia, Max and Norman often go down to the depths of the sea to collect anything that might be a lead to the existence of merpeople. Despite Norman's warnings about not to upset Virginia and regardless of Virginia's forbiddance to go out to sea, nothing could really stop this handsome, hot-blooded young man. The sea instinct practically ran in Max's blood, just like his old man. Only he and Norman knew of this secret attic. He practically spent his whole childhood in this attic. He viewed this place as his special domain.

            Later that evening, as he got ready to wear the suit and go for the dreaded courting ceremony, he saw, at a distance, a kaleidoscope of colours shimmering in the sea. His attic window faced the vast sea, so he could see quite clearly through the horizon. The temptation was too great; he threw away the suit he was about to wear and grabbed his oxygen tanks and all. He threw them down the hedges below and climbed out of the window through his rope ladder and was soon out of the house.

            When Norman came up to the attic to find him, he half-expected an empty attic with a suit thrown in a careless heap.

A/N: Seem like a familiar scene? Try and guess which Disney story it took. Reviews plz!     


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So, guys! How'd you like my work? I hope it's not too pathetic. Alright then, let's get on with the show!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            Max put on his oxygen mask and the oxygen tank onto his back. He ran towards the jetty dock and jumped into the sea. Within minutes, he was swimming down towards the bottom of the sea towards the shimmering kaleidoscope of lights. What he saw later was a lovely sight even for eyes that aren't sore.

            There was, as he suspected, a huge world of living, breathing merpeople, just like the ones in the legends. They were all almost just like regular people like you and I, only that they have shimmering, beautiful tails for legs and they breathe underwater. They were all moving towards a huge castle that was purely made out of corals and shells of different shapes and sizes that shine just like a kaleidoscope. It was so beautiful beyond words that Max found it hard not to gape at it.

            He tried to blend in but seeing that he had no shimmering tails like the merpeople and wore clothes and shoes instead of being half-naked like them, he'd be such a conspicuous spectacle. He resolved to sneak and hide in corners as he slowly advanced into the castle. So far, so good. He was really surprised to see a pair of octopuses guarding the front gate of the castle and he was even surprised to see seahorses wearing tux checking invitation cards, but he was lucky that he was able to go past them. He had his way of avoiding these things: he's learnt those tactics in comics.

            When he finally entered the castle and sneaked into the great hall, he was in for more excitement and surprises.

                                                                        *

            "Where is Max?"

            The courting ceremony has already begun an hour and a half ago and the crowd of dancing bachelors and bachelorettes were increasing. Some have already got who they wanted and were either dancing to the beat or sitting at the corner talking lovie-dovie stuff. Norman had to say something. 

            "Oh, he'll be here soon. He probably ran into someone he knows, like Bea or Felix, maybe," Norman was so used to covering up for Max, the words practically came out almost automatically.

            "Well, Felix is here," Virginia said, pointing at the little merchant's son dancing in the crowd as he tried to court a girl or two. "So, maybe he could be with Bea. He'd better make it here quick. He'll be performing later."

            "Performing?" Norman's eyes widened in surprise.

            "Hasn't he or his pals told you? He's going to perform on stage later for a song. I've already reminded him that this morning before he went to school. That'll increase his chances of getting himself the right girl. Although I secretly think that Bea is quite OK…"

            Her voice began to trail away as Norman began to fear Max. He didn't expect this, and he was sure that Max has forgotten it as soon as Virginia mentioned about the performance. He knew that Max hated this ceremony as much as Virginia hated the sea.

            "You better come back soon, or I can't help you anymore."

                                                                        *

            Max stared with awe at the wonders of the castle's great hall. It was decorated with more seashells and corals that glimmered brighter than the brightest jewels in the world. When he looked closer at the built of the wall, he noticed that some part of the wall was really made out of real crystals and rubies, and other part were made of real jewels, gold and silver here and there. If Max's mouth was flexible, he would've gaped until his jaws fell onto the sea bed.

            More and more merpeople were coming into the hall, filling it up with laughter and chatter. Max quickly swam his way into somewhere inconspicuous before someone found him. He hated the idea of being caught by an octopus or a whale or a dolphin or somewhat. From his hiding place, he continued to watch as everyone settled in the hall with their chatter and fancy fans and all.

            "Introducing the arrival of His Majesty King Benedict!!!"

            Everyone clapped when a seahorse appeared announcing the arrival of the King of the Sea. Max almost had a heart attack when he saw that this King Benedict, who was coming out in a weird shell-shaped carriage pulled by a pair of dolphins, looked exactly like his late father Blake. He wanted to run out and hug him but when King Benedict descended on the bed of an oyster (his throne) and when he looked harder, he realized that it was not his father. His father, as far as he could remember, had brownish-red hair and the blue eyes which he inherited from, but this man wasn't brownish-red haired or blue eyed. He had dark blue hair and green eyes. And although his face looked exactly like his dad, it's impossible that he could be able to live and breathe underwater, like what King Benedict was doing. Max sighed at the disappointment and stayed where he was. But he soon cheered up when King Benedict, using his trident, sent a shower of beautiful and magnificent fireworks.

            "And announcing King Benedict's most trusted advisor…"

            And the list went on, introducing the incoming royal or important guests. Then suddenly everyone clapped when the seahorse announced that King Benedict's sons were going to perform on stage for their beloved sister, who was the birthday girl for today. It dawned to Max that this was a royal birthday party. This was something new and he definitely didn't want to miss it for the world. He checked to see if the air in his oxygen tank was still enough. Luckily it was, so he sneaked himself into another inconspicuous spot to get a clearer view.

            The orchestra started playing, funnily played by a huge octopus, a blowfish, a few salmons and a group of jellyfish, conducted by a lobster. The curtains, which were made purely out of seaweed, drew up, revealing 6 oysters. As the song began to be sung, the oysters opened one by one, revealing 6 mermen who looked much older than Max. Max heard the mermen sang out their names throughout the song, namely Peter, Pad, Pjer, Pac, Pince and Pablio. Max wrinkled his nose at all their names and thought, 'What's with the 'P'?'

            Finally, from below the stage, emerged another oyster which was bigger than all of them combined. While singing, the 6 mermen shifted their gaze towards the oyster and sang, "Here's our birthday sister Phoebe!" The oyster opened, revealing the birthday girl, and boy, what a birthday girl she was, with dark chocolate-brown hair and the most beautiful jade-green eyes Max had ever seen. She was fairer than the fairest fairy in the world and Max had never seen any creature as beautiful as her.

            He had finally found his princess from the far unknown destination of paradise.

                                                                        *

            Up on land, the courting ceremony was pretty warmed up. The bachelors and bachelorettes chit-chatted amongst themselves, seemingly pretty excited when the MC announced that there will be a performance soon, performed by the one and only Maxwell Deanhart and his band. Norman began to feel nervous when he heard the excited whispers from the girls.

            "Oh, this is so great! Max is gonna perform!" 

            "Yeah! That's a new thing we don't see everyday!"

            "For once, Max is being sensible instead of drowning himself in dreams!"

            "Ooh, I wonder what he will perform!"

            "I wonder where he is," Norman muttered to himself nervously, praying hard that Max has come back from his 'sea expedition' and remembered his performance for tonight. Everyone waited anxiously, including Virginia. No one came out of the stage. No one stepped out to sing or act or do something on stage. Norman began to sense big trouble was coming afoot.

            "Where is that young man?" Virginia asked in the midst of all the anxious, surprised and impatient whispers. "He has to go up now if he wants to get a bride."

           "Uh…I think maybe he got a little stage fright," Norman said as he stepped further and further away from the widow. "I guess I'll go and check on him for a while."

            Norman ran towards the backstage in a thrice. When he reached there, he saw Felix, Bea and a few more people standing there with their instruments, looking nervous and agitated.

            "Psst! Where's Max?" Norman hissed. Bea noticed him and ran towards him.

            "You mean you didn't see him too? Oh no, what are we going to do?"

            "He sneaked out of the house and out to the sea again. I should've stopped him."

            "Out to the sea again?!" Felix exclaimed. "Oh man, this is so not good! Mrs. Deanhart told us beforehand to help out with Max's performance and told us to keep an eye on him! I can't believe he did this _again_!!"

            "Norman! You better give me a good reason why Max is not here!!"

            Norman winced. Needless to say, Virginia was standing right behind him, looking pretty fumed up and angry. Outside, the crowd was getting quite wild and pissed off, especially the girls. Felix and Bea gulped in fear.

            "Uh-oh. Busted!"

                                                                        *

            Max stared dreamily as the birthday princess Phoebe was on stage performing a song for her fellow guests. Everyone present even forgot their food to listen to her song. She sang so beautifully, like a sea angel descended from heaven for all the creatures of the underwater world to see. He was ultimately sure that no one could match her beauty ever.

            After her performance, she mingled with her friends to enjoy her birthday cake and food. She could be seen swimming around, laughing and talking with all her mermaid friends. She even danced with a few mermen and had a blast when her brothers came in one by one and gave a sort of teasing dance. Finally, King Benedict got off the throne to dance with his daughter. Max couldn't help being mesmerized by them: one who looked so much like his late father whom he missed so much and the other who was truly beautiful and wonderful beyond compare. Max almost drooled when he heard her laughing; it sounded like spring has come into the sea and touched his heart.

            "Hello, Phoebe!" Max heard someone calling the beautiful Phoebe. It was a merman, and quite charming at that. He looked a _wee_ bit like Max, with dark black hair like a raven and a pair of deep violet eyes and very fair skin. He saw Phoebe blushed at upon seeing him and his heart couldn't help feeling jealous.

            "Why, hello, Prince Drakeb. You're pretty late," Pablio clapped the merman's back.

            "Sorry, but I'm here to bring my sweet princess a gift," Drakeb replied and clapped his hands. A turtle swam in with a string of seaweed in his mouth. The seaweed was pulling along a shell. Drakeb excused the turtle and announced, "My dear princess, I give to you…"

            He tapped the shell a few times before it cracked open to reveal a statue of Phoebe carved out of a huge coral. Everyone gasped and oohed at the sight. Phoebe was at lost of words. King Benedict clapped his hands with glee and admiration.

            "My, my, my, what a pleasant gift! This must have cost quite a sum! I would be glad to have a son-in-law as generous as you!"

            "It would be an honour if I am given the opportunity to dance with Princess Phoebe as a token of your gratitude," Drakeb bowed gracefully as he took the blushing Phoebe's hand, which was of more jealousy to Max. He was about to come out of his hiding place and rush over to give Drakeb a piece of his mind when he noticed a dark shadow coming towards the castle.

            "It is pretty generous of him," Pad stroked his chin thoughtfully, "but where are we actually going to place this statue?"

            "How about on my sea bed?" An icy cold voice filled the whole hall which sent everyone into horrified screams and terror.

            Max could see that this type of danger was no simple one to tackle.

A/N: Oh me, oh my! What creature has lurked into the fabulous castle of the King of the Sea? Not telling! Reviews plz! 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Oh, I just can't get enough of this mix-up fic! Care to join in the fun? There is a small song dubbing from Kelly Clarkson entitled 'A Moment Like This' too, sung by ours truly Max! ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            Max was as ultimately terrified as the guests present in the hall when he saw the intruding visitor. It was a huge, REALLY huge Great White shark, with teeth bared as if ready to have a nice great meal made of merpeople sushi. Max gulped in horror at this monstrosity. He had never seen a Great White at this range, up close and personal. He only had seen them in books.

            "So, King Benedict, Your _Majesty_," the Great White said sarcastically. "I see that you have taken the initiative of _not_ inviting me to this glorious royal birthday party. What's the matter? Afraid that I won't get a gift worthy enough for your daughter?"

            "No, Tiger," King Benedict faced the shark boldly. "I didn't invite you because of your irregular appetite. Think of the horror that might happen if I let you come. You would've eaten up my people and my friends! Probably even my daughter!"

            "Oh, that's not right to treat a guest!" the Great White whose name was Tiger had his fins on his fishy chest dramatically. "Show a little respect."

            "Respect is definitely the last thing on your list you should deserve," Drakeb muttered grudgingly. 

            "Since I'm going to be treated that way, I might as well crash the whole party and see how you like it!"

            Without another word, Tiger swam around the huge castle great hall and smashed everything at its path. He used the tip of his nose to butt and hit everyone around, sending them flying at all directions. He chomped down the whole orchestra and gulped down everything that was on the coral table. He bit at the merpeople's pets and banged himself on the walls of the castle, making a huge scene. He was uncontrollable. The King's men weren't able to stop him—he was too strong for them to tackle. Finally, he lunged towards the birthday princess and, like a bull, butted her and sent her flying high up onto the surface. His force was really strong and soon, Princess Phoebe could be seen disappearing into the surface and didn't come down.

            Max gasped. He knew lots on merpeople's weaknesses. They cannot be off the water more than 30 minutes or they would shrivel and die. Leaving King Benedict's men to fend Tiger away, Max quickly swam back up to the surface and tried to look for the princess. If the people were ever to see her up on shore, she would either be put in an exhibit or being poked and prodded by curious people, or worse, being cooked and eaten, for legend has it that eating a mermaid would grant you immortality. He saw her hanging loosely from one of the fishermen's sails of a fishing boat. Her body got tangled in the sail ropes, bruised and unconscious. He quickly rushed up to the boat, taking care not to let anyone see them both, and took off his diving gear. With nimble hands and feet, he climbed swiftly up to the sails and cut her loose with his pocket knife given by Norman who got it from one of his past voyages. He then carried her down, put on his diving gear and propped her across his shoulders before diving back into the sea.

            As he dived deeper and deeper down back to the mermen territory, Tiger was gone. The Great White was chased away by a large, over-sized squid, being squirted with black goo as he went. Max hid out of sight. He didn't want to risk being caught and be accused for kidnapping the mermaid princess. He placed her a reasonable distance away from the castle and stared at her. 

            She was still unconscious and quite bruised, but nevertheless she was OK and not shriveled up like an old apple as he feared. She was still the angelic, most beautiful mermaid he first saw. Her eyes were closed gracefully, covering those jade-green eyes. Her dark chocolate-brown hair spread decoratively around her head, like a magnificent royal crown. Her chest rose and fell gently. She looked so majestic and pure even when she was unconscious, as if she did not faint, but only slept and having a great dream. Max wanted so much to lay his lips on her rosy ones but he realized that this would mean drowning or die due to the sea pressure for him. The only thing he could do was to sing for her to express his love.     

_What if I told you it was all meant to be   
Would you believe me, would you agree  
It's almost that feeling that we've met before  
So tell me that you don't think I'm crazy  
When I tell you love has come here and now  
  
Chorus:  
A moment like this   
Some people wait a lifetime  
For a moment like this  
Some people search forever  
For that one special kiss  
I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
  
Everything changes but beauty remains  
Something's so tender I can't explain  
I may be dreaming but 'til I awake  
Can't we make this dream last forever  
And I'll cherish all the love we share  
  
Chorus  
  
Could this be the greatest love of all  
I wanna know that you'll catch me when I fall  
So let me tell you this...  
Some people wait a life time for a moment like this…_

            Max's singing did do Princess Phoebe a little good. She began to stir and open her jade-green eyes. She let out a small smile when she saw the singing Max staring back at her intently with full of love and passion. She held Max's hand that was on her soft, silky cheek and wanted to hold out her other hand to ask about him when she suddenly saw him looking at another direction and then swam away from her. Her weak body was unable to give chase to this mysterious man that had saved her life.

            "Your Highness! Your Highness! There you are!" 

            Princess Phoebe blinked and tried to steer herself up when she heard Drakeb's voice calling her. She soon felt Drakeb's strong hands picking her up and holding her close, saying, "Oh, thank the Sea Gods that you're alright. Are you hurt? Anything broken?"

            "A…A boy…he…he rescued me…" Phoebe found herself trying to search for Max absentmindedly. "He was…singing…He had the most…beautiful voice…!"

            "I think you've taken in too much moon rays up on the surface. Off we go," Drakeb said as he carried Phoebe into his arms. Phoebe let him; she was too weak to think clearly what had happened. Behind a huge rock, Max slowly popped his head out to stare at the disappearing royal mermaid and merman. He felt both jealous and relieved—relieved because someone had appeared just in the nick of time before he scared the mermaid princess if she saw that he was a human, yet jealous because it had to be his potential rival Drakeb to come. He also felt a little upset because his appearance had cut short his lovely time with her. He then noticed that the air in his oxygen tank was slowly going down. He had to go back to land before he drowned himself to death. Besides, he had to get back home quick and find a good excuse for not attending to the courting ceremony. 

            Before he left the scene to go back up the surface, he sang softly, "_Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this…_"

A/N: Oooh~! How romantic~! He'd better be sure what he was doing! How's the song? OK? Reviews plz!   


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Well, folks, let's see what our little Romeo's adventure is gonna be like next!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            When Max got back to shore, he crept quietly up to his secret attic, stashed his diving gear somewhere safe, dried and dressed himself up in warm, dry clothes he kept in an old trunk and slowly walked down into his room. But no sooner did he had a chance to go inside, his mother caught him.

            "Young man, you certainly have some explaining to do!"

            Max groaned. This was the umpteenth times this week he was caught red-handed going out to sea. She had no idea how her grudge on the sea could affect his increasing obsession towards it. As he slowly inched his way into the living room, he saw Mrs. Virginia Deanhart waiting for him with a scowl on her face and Norman standing guiltily behind her, his eyes apologizing profusely to him.

            "Do you realize that you have embarrassed me in front of the whole village? What were you thinking?" Virginia asked, her temper rising. Max didn't dare to look at her in the eye.

            "Aww, Mom! I told you a hundred times," Max tried to reason with her, "I am _not_ interested in some stupid courting ceremony! I am not ready to get married yet!"

            "And when, pray tell, will you be ready? You have missed 3 ceremonies 3 years in a row and you are now almost 21! You cannot let your youth slip away by some sick daydreams of princesses from yonder and becoming a knight in shining armour!" Virginia complained. She laid a hand on her son's shoulder and said, "Max, I cannot stand seeing you with your head above the clouds and not getting settled down with a nice respectable family and have children of your own!"

            "Yeah, right," Max muttered a little too loud and within Virginia's earshot, "as if having a family and kids is much fun than going out to sea and explore its wonders."

            "What did you say?" Virginia's eyes widened, obviously hearing something she didn't want to hear. Norman, at the background, was horrified that he would ever say such a thing in front of his sea-hating mother.

            "Nothing. Nothing at all," Max quickly denied, like he always did.

            "You went down to the sea again, didn't you? _Didn't you?_" Virginia pressed. She always got her way. Max rolled his eyes and groaned.

            "Nothing happened, Mom."

            "Max, how many times must we go through this?!" Virginia slapped her temple, exasperated at her son's indignant attitude. "You are told not go to even set foot into the sea or you'll end up being lured away to drown by one of those…sea devils…those _mermaids_!"

            "Mom, they are not sea devils," Max tried to make himself heard but Virginia cut him off.

            "They're dangerous! I don't want you to fall or being dragged into the depths of the sea just like your father did when you were just a tiny child…"

            "Well, like you said, I'm 21 years old, and I'm not a child anymore—"

            "Don't you give that tone, young man! As long as you live in this house, you are to obey my rules!"

            "But if you would just listen—" Max tried desperately to talk but Virginia wouldn't hear of it.

            "Not another word! And I will never, never want to hear going down to the sea again, is that clear?!"

            Max wanted to yell back at her and tell her that she's a horrible mother and that she would never understand how wonderful the sea could be if she would just let go of the past and not blame the merpeople for something they didn't do, but he knew that it was pointless and probably make things worse. So, with a loud, exasperated groan, he dashed off back into his room, slamming the door in frustration.

            "Don't you think you're being a little too harsh on him, ma'am?" Norman asked tentatively as soon as Virginia sat back down on her sofa.

            "I know, but I can't risk him dying like Blake. You saw what happened. You were with Blake the night of his death. It's those cursed mermaids! They did this to our family, and they will not take my son away!"

            Norman sighed. Tried as he might in the past, he couldn't convince Virginia that his late boss was killed by a wave. She was too influenced with the rumours that the mermaids killed Blake and that the sailors were trying to cover it up. True, he had seen those magical creatures swimming at a distance, but he was sure that it was a trick of the eyes. And if they were real out there, he didn't hear them singing, for legend has it that mermaids usually sing to their victims and distract them from navigating properly, taking them down into the depths of the sea. And Virginia believed that legend instead of his truth.

            'Oh, Blake,' he thought. 'When will you ever got to let her see the light?'

                                                                        *

            Since that fateful day, Max's visit to the sea became even more frequent. He would sneak off in the middle of his work (he helps her mother with her archeological research; everyone calls her a nutter and said she'll never find any ancient creature's bones in this provincial town) to check out his Princess Phoebe who was ever lovely wherever she goes or whatever she does. He gazed at her and followed her wherever she went and would never want to miss a second of her. Sometimes he spent so much time that he realized there was no more air in the tank and he had to frantically swim up to the surface for air.

            Norman noticed his obsession with Phoebe and managed to catch a glimpse of her when he and Max went out on another of their secret diving expedition. He had to admit that she was very pretty and couldn't blame Max for being so crazy about her all the time. So he decided to do him a favour. 

            One night, when everyone, including Max, was asleep in bed, Norman went to the attic to get his diving gear and checked to see whether his oxygen tank was full before he sneaked out of the house and dived into the sea. He swam all the way to the castle of King Benedict, the merman King through the secret passageway he and Max came to remember during their visits to see Phoebe and sneaked into the beautiful princess's room. He swam silently towards the statue of the mermaid princess that was standing gracefully beside her bed. With a firm grip, he picked up the statue and swam back to the surface with it. On the way up, he passed by the King's chamber and he could see him sleeping with the Queen.

            A beautiful Queen she was, with chocolate-brown hair (he could see where Phoebe got hers from) and fair skin. If he hadn't been slightly attracted to Virginia (yup, he has a small crush on her alright), he would have fallen for this Queen. Then he took a look at the King, gasped inwardly and quickly swam back up to the surface.

            He had seen the King many times when he and Max did their secret visits and Max was convinced that King Benedict was not his late father, but he had seen something just now that told him otherwise.

            On his chest was a tattoo of Venus, the Evening Star, which he got it from Peru before his death.

                                                                        *

            "Wake up, Max! Have you fallen asleep in the bathroom?"

            Virginia called out to her son who was hogging the bathroom all day. He had promised Bea and Felix that they would go and help out the old man in run-down comic house to clear a few things in his shop, but since he went into the bathroom to get himself ready, he hadn't come for the last half an hour.

            "Maxwell Deanhart! Time to come out!" Bea decided to take things on her own and pounded at the bathroom door. "You've been in there all morning! You said yourself that you wouldn't miss that old rag's comic house for the world!"

            Finally, Max came out, a dreamy look on his face, as he hummed the song that he had sang for the mermaid princess he had saved that fateful day. He practically drifted towards his bedroom as he went in to change. Bea and Felix, including Virginia, stared at him in awe and surprise.

            "Woah, dude! He's got it bad, baby," Felix soon began to comprehend his oddity. Bea also had an idea.

            "What? What's wrong with him?" Virginia asked Max's two best friends.

            "Isn't it obvious, Mrs. Deanhart?" Bea asked grudgingly. "Max is in love."

            "Max? In love?"

                                                                        *   

            "Where are you taking me, Normie?" Max asked anxiously.

            "To where we usually go," Norman replied, trying to control a scoff as he led his little master up to the secret attic. His huge hands were covering his eyes and he was obviously trying to show Max, who had just came back from sorting the comic house of his old books and moth-eaten magazines, a surprise. As they carefully went upstairs, Norman said, "Promise you won't scream the whole house down or your Mom'll hear you."

            "OK, OK, I promise! Now what's the big surprise?"

            "Tadaa~!" Norman exclaimed as he let go of Max's eyes. As his eyes tried to adjust to the light, he was, as expected, shocked with glee as he saw the beautiful statue of his sweetheart standing tall and proud in the middle of the attic. It took him time before he could actually register what was right in front of his eyes.

            "Normie, you're the best!!" Max hugged his big-sized butler before dashing towards the statue to ogle and admire—and probably drool—all over it. He barely had enough time to engross himself with the statue when he saw his mother Virginia standing right in front of him. He gasped in shock and horror—how did she find out about this secret attic he had kept hidden from her since he discovered it 16 years ago? His first instinct was Norman but he noticed that his butler was as surprised as he was.

            "I was actually considering a reasonable woman," Virginia muttered. She came into full view, her face filled with anger and disgust as she stared at Princess Phoebe's statue. "I've set certain rules, and I expect those rules to be obeyed!"

            "But, Mom, it's not what you think…" Max tried to explain, although he knew whatever he said wasn't going to improve anything.

           "Is it true that you rescued a mermaid from shriveling on the surface?" Virginia didn't wait for her son to answer. "Oh, don't think that your mother is stupid, young man! I knew something was wrong when you didn't turn up for that courting ceremony that night, and you have admitted that you went out to sea that night. Do you really think that I wouldn't be suspicious if you sneaked off in the middle of helping me without me knowing? You have got some nerve! Just because I don't know that you've been going up to this place doesn't mean that I don't know that it exists! What have I said about mermaids?"

            "But she could die and I can't just…"

            "So what if she dies? It would be better off if there are lesser mermaids in this world! I told you that they are sea devils and are not to be trusted! Have you forgotten who killed your father? Have you forgotten who had caused us all this misery if it weren't for them that caused your father's death…"

            "But, Mom, I LOVE HER!!!" Max blurted out desperately, only to realized that he _had_ made the situation worse. He immediately hid behind the statue, refusing to face his mother's horrified expression.

            "No! Have you lost your senses completely? She's a mermaid, you're a human!"

            "I don't care!" Max replied indignantly. Norman wanted to calm Virginia down but she wasn't in the right mind to be calmed down.

           "Oh, help me, Max!" Virginia growled as her ring on her left ring finger began to glow. "I am going get it through you, and if this is the only way, _so be it_!!"

            Virginia's wedding ring was no ordinary ring. It was given by Blake when he proposed to her and it possessed magical destructive powers. She had never used the ring's power before, that is, until now. She began to shoot rays out of her ring at all the things in the attic, crashing and wrecking them. All the treasures of the sea Max and Norman collected for 16 years went down to smoke and ashes. No matter how Max and Norman pleaded and protested, her mind was bent on destroying anything that was connected to the sea. Lastly, despite Max's desperate wail, she shot at the statue, reducing it to rubble.

            That struck Max real bad. Max fell onto his knees beside the rubble and cried like he had never cried before. Before he could mourn properly over the loss of his magnificent statue, Virginia grabbed his wrist and dragged out of the attic and into his room. She pushed him in and locked the door. 

            "What is this?! Let me out!! LET ME OUT!!!" Max pounded furiously at the door.

            "You're grounded, young man! And you'll stay in there grounded until you get it into your head that mermaids are nothing but sea devils and until I get a really decent human girl for you!" Virginia scolded from the other side of the door before leaving. She warned Norman not to open the door except for meals and Norman nodded obligingly. Norman walked towards the door and called out to his young master.

            "Max? You OK?"

            Max's first thought was to get out from the window but he realized that his window was barred. Even if he smashed the glass, he won't be able to get out. He slumped onto his bed and whispered, "Just go away."

            Norman walked away from the door guiltily, leaving Max alone, sobbing bitterly.        

A/N: Oh dear, how sad! Sometimes grown-ups just don't understand the pressure they're putting on kids. Reviews plz! 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: If this fic were to turn up to be in the MMx series, I would definitely be the first one to watch it, pronto! Now, on with the show!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            Meanwhile, far, far from provincial village, there stood a tall, quite old cathedral where the people often go to do there Sunday worships and prayers. The cathedral had been standing there for as long as the people could remember, and legend has it that in this cathedral, resides a mysterious bell-ringer who never seemed to come out in the light. He did wonders with the bells but no one has ever seen the bell-ringer before. Som even say that the bells rang themselves, which is, of course, a ludicrous idea. It was kept really well too, thanks to the funding from another mysterious man only the church members (as in the archdeacon, the bishop, the nuns, etc…you get the idea) knew as Scott or better known as SkullMaster.

            His name didn't go unparallel with his features: his head was bald and his face and skin was sallow and pale, going to purple. His skin was shriveled close to his own facial bones until it formed the shape of his skull. He had those cold, unkind yellow eyes that could pierce through your heart like a knife. He was tall and well-built, and he was as strong as an ox. He was the same Scott that went with Max's father out to sea and was presumed dead, but he came back to shore with such a transformation and he came back secretly that no one except the church members knew of his existence. None of them knew what had happened to him or how he came about to become of such grotesque figure. He had told no one and no one dared to ask.

            His return did not come empty-handed though. He had loads of riches which was still a mystery to all as from where he got them and he had been funding the village and the cathedral ever since, holding quite a power over it. No one (except the church) knew who had been supporting and controlling the village and the church for so long, and they—the easily contented—didn't bother to find out, as long as their interests are well kept.

            SkullMaster had a strange disliking for outsiders that come into the village to stay unless they prove to be of good interest to him. And that's where the legend of the mysterious bell-ringer came about. For on one cold winter's night, a group of gypsies wanted to find home in this village after many miles of moving. They heard about the rules of SkullMaster forbidding outsiders coming in and they decided to sneak in through the docks below the jetty that connected the village to the sea. Just when they thought they were safe, SkullMaster had the upper hand. He and his dark-hooded men came and arrested the gypsies, taking all their possessions with him. When a woman refused to hand in a bundle that was held protectively in her arms, SkullMaster assumed that it was stolen goods and ordered his men to take it away by force.

            Without a doubt, the gypsy woman ran for her life. SkullMaster gave chase and caught up with her while she was begging for sanctuary at the cathedral he had funded. A tug-of-war between SkullMaster and the gypsy woman began and finally, he kicked the woman down the steps leading to the cathedral and it killed her instantly. It was then he realized that the bundle the gypsy woman was trying to protect was in fact a wailing baby. SkullMaster took a look and was shocked at what he saw.

            It was a baby boy, with red skin all over and with two tiny slits for a nose and slightly protruding fangs for his first teeth. His eyes were a shocking yellow and his mop of hair was a dark-sea blue. On the side of his temples was a pair of little horns that shaped and curved like a bull's horns. He had never seen such a horrible freak of nature.

            "A monster!" he hissed as he took the baby towards the well nearby the church. As he was about to drop the baby into the deep well below, the archdeacon had came back just in time from his grocery shopping.

            "STOP!!" the archdeacon cried, shocked at what he was seeing.

            "This is, as you church people might call, an unholy demon," SkullMaster said as he held the baby threateningly near the mouth of the well. "I'm doing you a favour and sending it back to hell where it belongs."

            "See there, my lord, the innocent blood you have spilt on the steps of our church! What have you done, my lord?" the archdeacon asked as he moved closer to the gypsy woman's body in horror.

            "I have done nothing wrong. She ran and I pursued. She died of her own accord."

            "Are you trying to add this child's blood to your guilt? No matter what the child is, it is still a child!"

            "Hey, my conscience is clear, old man! I said I have done nothing wrong!"

            "You can lie to yourself and your minions, my lord. You may have funded our land, our village and our church, and you can claim that you haven't a qualm," the archdeacon said with utter disgust at SkullMaster's indignant ways. "But you never can run from nor hide what you done from the very eyes of He who is Almighty!"

            SkullMaster had no concerns for this hullabaloo religious talk (he's not a very religious man), but he was afraid that there could be spies lurking around, waiting to catch him in the act for a murder, and that might bring down his influence to the village. He took a deep breath and said, "Then what must I do, old man?"

            "Care for the child, and raise it as your own," the archdeacon replied as he carried the gypsy woman into the back of the church to be buried properly. 

            "What?! I'm to be saddling with this misshapen…" SkullMaster look at the baby in disgust at first, but suddenly, an idea clicked. He smiled and said, "Very well, but I want it to live with you in your church."

            "Live here?" the archdeacon was surprised. "Where?"

            "Anywhere, just so he's kept locked away when no one else could see," SkullMaster took a glance at the highest spot of the cathedral and said, "The bell tower perhaps. After all, as you might say, your Lord works in mysterious ways. Even this foul creature may yet prove one day to be…of use to me." 

            And so the child had came to be a permanent resident to the cathedral, making friends with the bells and had his job tolling them. The loud noises didn't seem to bother him as he got quite used to it. SkullMaster cared for him and he grew to be a quite strong and built man. Despite the fact that he was strong and built, he was a little hunched and his voice was a permanent rasp, and…well, he wasn't too bright either (the brain a size of a pinhead). He was given the name WarMonger and he was only allowed to address SkullMaster as 'Master' and nothing else.   

            WarMonger longed to be with the people that he had seen down below from his high bell-tower but SkullMaster often warned him that he was a monster and if anyone were to catch sight of him would cause peril and shame, and, as the obliging little simpleton he was, he never dared to disobey his master.

            "But, master, I see you go everyday and meet with the people down at the ground, and I never get to go anywhere…" WarMonger once tried to reason with him when SkullMaster brought him his lunch.

            "Till now, my little simpleton, you do not comprehend," SkullMaster said coldly. "I have told you many, many times that the world is cruel and wicked and it's I alone who you can trust in this whole village. I am your only friend."

            "Yes, I understand that, master, but…"

            "It is I who keep you, teach you, feed you and dress you. It is I who look upon you without fear. How can I protect you, boy, unless you always stay in here?"

            "Yes, master. You are my one defender," WarMonger sighed finally, tired of trying to reason with him.

            "You are deformed and you are ugly. And these are crimes for which the world shows little pity, do you understand?" SkullMaster must've said this a dozen times a day. "Out there they'll revile you as a monster, and they will hate and scorn and jeer. Why invite their calumny and consternation? Stay in here, boy, and be faithful and grateful to me."

            "I'm faithful, master, and I'm grateful," WarMonger replied timidly.

            "Do as I say, boy, and stay in here. Remember, WarMonger, this is your sanctuary," SkullMaster said before he left, leaving some more tidbits for the little deformed red boy.

            "You are kind to me, master, and I'm sorry if I ever had made you…"

            "You are forgiven," SkullMaster replied before he finally left. WarMonger stood there, staring until his master completely disappeared out of sight. He sighed. What was the use of being safe behind these windows and these parapets of stone when all he could do was just gazing at the people down below him all alone without being able to actually interact with them and talk to them face to face? The only people he had ever talked to face to face were the members of the church and he had definitely haven't found favour in the eyes of the bishop and the nuns, only the kind, sweet archdeacon. All his life he had memorized the faces of everyone in the village and the ones who come and go to the church, knowing them as they will never know him, and all his life he wondered how it feels to pass a day not above them but part of them.

            "Poor little guy, all cooped up here alone and stranded now, are we?"

            WarMonger turned around to see Thor on his table, slurping on the flies that flew around the half-eaten grapes on WarMonger's plate. He smiled; Thor has always been his best talking companion ever since he lived in this lonely bell-tower. Thor was an iguana rock statue which had a life of its own after being in the church for more than a hundred years. He didn't know how he come about to become a walking, talking figurine or an immobile rock at will, but that's how it goes. WarMonger discovered him when he was 5 years old and they have became friends ever since. 

            "Hello, Thor," WarMonger said. "Glad you're up and about."

            "I'm glad that ol' bone head has finally left!" Thor replied, relieved. "He doesn't know how to lighten up, does he?"

            WarMonger smiled weakly and replied, "He has always been this way. I'm used to it."

            "Couldn't talk him out again, could you?" Thor guessed that his attempt to persuade SkullMaster to let him out in the world was, yet again, fruitless.

            "I just ask for one day to live among those people. I'd give anything, I'd dare _anything_ just to live one day out there," WarMonger said longingly as he gazed down at the people below again. "I can see the millers, the weavers and their wives, the sailors and merchants that come and go through the jetty. I mean they shout and scold and go about their lives, practically heedless of the gift it is to be them…"

            "Well, humans are pretty ignorant about their nature when they're supposed to know that they have the great talent in themselves."

            "If I was in their skin, I'd treasure_ dearly_ every instant out there. I want to stroll on the road, taste the morning like ordinary men who freely walk about there. If I could just have one day, just one day, I swear I'll be content."

            "Why don't you go right now? Just go down the stairs and march right out of the door and into the sunlight. It's just that simple," Thor said, which resulted to a horrified stare from WarMonger.

            "I can't go out there!! What if my master finds out?! He had forbid me to go out there, and if he knew, he'll cane me!!"

            "He doesn't have to know," Thor grinned mischievously.

            "But…" WarMonger still was hesitant.

            "No one wants to stay cooped up here forever."

            That hit WarMonger straight in the head. Thor's right; why should he be cooped up here forever when his master and the people that live in the same village as he was walk free? Why should he be under his orders anymore? He's already a grown man, for goodness sake. Well, he's only about 15 or 16, but still he's already grown! He's not the small child who always cowers when SkullMaster snarled or scolded him anymore! He's got his own rights! 

            After Thor and WarMonger exchange naughty winks, WarMonger grabbed a cloak and draped it over his body before, with agile arms and feet, slid down the banisters of the cathedral and set foot for the first time in the big open.  
  

A/N: He does have a little rebelliousness in him, doesn't he? Like Max, but more timid. Reviews plz! 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: OK, now let us get back to our story and enjoy the fun!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            WarMonger widened his eyes in awe at what he had seen around him. Everything looks perfectly different up close. He never thought that he had to look up to see the boats and ships in the jetty. He never thought that bread would smell so good at a close range. He never thought that the people he had observed from above looked so different when seen face to face. He never knew that there were more than just bibles to read out in the open road (obviously he has stumbled upon Max's favourite haunt). He never knew that there were so many things out here he had never known before. It was like heaven just walking around among the people just like any other regular guy.

            Of course, he had to keep himself cloaked and unnoticed. He didn't want to risk scaring people with his looks for he knew he was ugly—he scared a girl once in church—and most importantly, he didn't want to be found by his master. 

            He noticed that the whole town was looking lively and enthusiastic and they were walking about getting ready for a big occasion. He recognized the things they were carrying around the village were mostly coloured flags and balloons and all kinds of festivity stuff meant for the anniversary of the village. Looks like he came down just in time. He could see people shouting out to sell their things at half of the cost and the whole place was full of life and full of hustle and bustle of people. He was really enjoying the preparation for this festive day.

            He was so engrossed with his surroundings that he didn't notice Virginia Deanhart and her butler Norman walking from the opposite direction. He bumped into them and scattered all the groceries the two had bought. His cloak almost fell off but WarMonger immediately cloaked it back.

            "Hey, watch where you're going, boy!" Norman said as he ran around chasing the oranges that rolled out of the shopping bags.

            "I'm sorry," WarMonger replied, pulling his hood closer and lower to his face. "I'm really, really sorry. I didn't mean to…"

            "Norman, it was an accident," Virginia said while turning towards the cowering WarMonger. "You're scaring the poor boy! You're not hurt, are you, boy? Here, let me have a look."

            WarMonger was horrified. She was going to remove his hood and let her see his hideous face! What would happen if she does see his face? She might probably scream and her boyfriend would clobber him like a punching bag! Despite WarMonger's "No! No!" protests, Virginia looked into his hood and saw his face. He was expecting her to scream, but weird enough, she just smiled.

            "See? No harm done. I guess he's alright," Virginia said sweetly in spite of Norman's screwed-up face of utter disgust.

            WarMonger was quite at lost of words. She didn't scream or back away in fright at all. She even smiled at him like he was just someone else, an _ordinary_ someone else. And she was so pretty with her golden blonde hair and striking dark-blue eyes, like one of the angels in the stained glass of the cathedral. He had looked over the village from his bell-tower and he was sure that he had never seen anything as beautiful as her. Well, even if he did see her, she was about 10, 15 or maybe 20 feet below him to be seen clearly. 

            "Just try to be a little more careful, OK?" Virginia's motherly voice brought him back to reality. Norman was looking at him like he had seen a decomposing corpse or something.

            "I…I will. Thank you very much," WarMonger almost stuttered. He was amazed that she didn't even shudder at his raspy voice.

            "By the way, are you joining in the Horror Face Contest?"

            "What?" WarMonger was surprised at Virginia's question.

            Virginia pointed at the sign post a few feet away from where they were standing, just opposite the bakery shop. It bears the banner writing in bold 'HORROR FACE CONTEST: REGISTER HERE'. She said cheerfully, "It's our main attraction for tomorrow's Fishermen's Friend 25th Anniversary. That _is_ why you're wearing that great mask, right?"

            "Err…yeah. Yeah, that's right," WarMonger lied, not knowing what else to say. "I'm opting for the contest and give them a great scare of their life. If you'll excuse me, I'll…"

            "Let me go with you!" Virginia said enthusiastically, pulling WarMonger's arm without caring if he wanted it or not. "I'll help you register; the boy sitting there at the counter is my son's best friend."   

            Despite his kind refusal, Virginia dragged WarMonger all the way towards the counter where Felix and Bea were sitting and taking in contestants. They shrank a little when they saw Mrs. Deanhart coming—they have heard about her locking Max up in his room and not letting him out in case he had any bright ideas going down to the sea—but when they saw her dragging someone short and built along with her, they guessed that she was up to her hospitality moods again.

            "Hey there, Mrs. Deanhart," Bea greeted Virginia. "Who do we have here?"

            "This boy here wants to participate in the contest," Virginia said as she pointed at the cowering WarMonger. "Don't be shy, boy. Go on and tell him your name."

            "W…WarMonger…" the bell-ringer said timidly and Felix scribbled it down, wrinkling his nose at this weird name.

            "Mind if we have a premiere of what you're going to present for tomorrow's contest?"

            "Show him, WarMonger," Virginia coaxed. WarMonger hesitated before finally lowering his hood to reveal his face. Everyone present gasped at his appearance, except Virginia who looked more impressed as she continued staring at him. "Now that's what I call a horror face!"

            "Hey, dude," Felix said with a half-impressed-half-shocked look on his face. "Would you mind taking that mask off so that I can get a closer look? This mask must be the work of an artist."

            "Um…err…I…I can't…you don't want to touch me…" WarMonger hesitated, inching his way from the counter but Virginia got him firmly.

            "Don't be silly, WarMonger. It's just a mask, take it off and let me see how you really look like. You must be handsome beneath that grotesque mask of yours." 

            Still, WarMonger shook his head. He wanted to run away before he caused more trouble but Virginia caught him firmly on the face. She pulled and tugged but the 'mask' won't come off. Finally, when she realized that she was hurting the boy, she gasped and let go. Her sudden movement loosened the cloak he was putting on and it slid off his body, showing the rest of his red skin. Everyone else gasped too as they realized what was going on.

            "That's not a mask!" Norman said, quite horrified.

            "It's his face!" Bea joined in, shocked.

            "Woah, hideous, man! Funky but hideous!" Felix agreed.

            "It's must the legendary bell-ringer of the cathedral!" someone else exclaimed. "I have got a glance of him before!"  

            Everyone began to mutter and give rude comments about him. As they were too engrossed in being grossed out by WarMonger's appearance, they didn't realize that their mysterious funding man of the village, SkullMaster, was walking around trying to check out the village and see if there were any outsiders to be of good use to him. He saw the crowd and he saw WarMonger cowering and trying to hide his face from them, wanting to look for a way out and back to the cathedral. His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits but he didn't attempt to get him out of the situation. He just stood there and watched.

            "Well, he's not welcomed even if he has the most horror face in the contest! He's to win for sure!" one of the men in the crowd yelled. "That's not fair!"

            "Yeah! I want to win! I've been waiting all year for this!"

            "Get him out of here!" 

            "He's scaring the children!"

            In the midst of all the shouting and protests, someone flung an egg at the poor bell-ringer. The others followed suite, throwing tomatoes and fruits and other rotten stuff at him. WarMonger soon found himself showered with food of all kinds, and none of them want to let him go until they had satisfied themselves of making him a wretched fool. WarMonger caught a glimpse of his master in the middle of the crowd—he could recognize him even when he is in his long, billowing cloak and dark hood. He yelled out desperately.

            "Master! Master, please help me! Master!"

            SkullMaster just stood there watching, not wanting to help. He wanted to teach this disobedient boy of his a lesson.

            Suddenly, all went quiet. Everyone stopped throwing their food halfway through. SkullMaster was surprised at the sudden silence and craned his neck to watch. In the middle of the crowd, shielding the bell-ringer was Virginia, drenched in sour milk and stained with tomato juice and egg yolks. Everyone was surprised; why did this archaeologist nutter, mother of the most handsome boy in the village, want to help a wretched being from hell like him? She stood up abruptly and yelled at the top of her lungs.

            "You ought to be ashamed of yourself! How could you mistreat this unfortunate person?! Sure, he may be hideous and he may be a joke, but he's a human being, just like the rest of us! He just looks different than us, that's all! Why are you doing this to him? Why aren't you doing this to the miller's son who's a bit retarded or the beggar who had been begging in our village for the last couple of years? Why him? Why now? You care about those people but you are cruel to this being who needed most of our attention! I'm sure this is the first time he's out in the world and you're giving him a hard time! If I were to do this to your sons or daughters, how would you feel?! Shame on you all!!"

            Everyone put down whatever they were holding timidly and looked away, feeling awkward. They had to admit that Virginia was right—they have been too harsh on WarMonger. Virginia turned slowly towards the red boy and offered him her hanky, whispering, "I'm sorry, boy. This isn't supposed to happen."

            Soon, the sky darkened and it began to rain, as if it was a cue for everyone to leave and make a way for WarMonger to go back to his cathedral. The rain slowly washed away the dirt off WarMonger. He refused Virginia's hanky and ran helter-skelter towards the direction of the cathedral. In the midway, he bumped into his master, who was glaring at him with his cold, unkind eyes. He lowered his head in shame and whispered, "I'm sorry, master. I will never disobey you again."

            SkullMaster kept quiet, but made way for the boy to go home where he belonged. WarMonger ran and ran and didn't stop until he was standing in front of the church's open door. He slipped into it and closed it quietly, not wanting to alarm the church members that he was out of the bell-tower. He was trained to keep out of sight as much as possible and he did a good job avoiding anyone who came in his way. But as he climbed up the stairs to his beloved bell-tower, he couldn't avoid the archdeacon. They stared at each other as if they were speaking to each other with their eyes and not their mouth, and they seemed to comprehend each other's meaning. The archdeacon nodded before letting WarMonger continue his way up the bell-tower. 

           WarMonger didn't speak a word for the rest of the day, and Thor was wise not to talk to him until he felt like talking. He did everything in silence until the rain stopped and the moon rose up into the sky before he finally broke down and cried on Thor's spiky back. It was a terrible day out in the real world and he admitted that his master was right all along.

            Things couldn't get any worse than this.

                                                                        *

            SkullMaster followed quietly behind as Virginia and Norman made their way home. He hid in an inconspicuous spot as the duo walked into the house which he hadn't been in for a long, long while. He looked up and saw that Max, Blake's son, was watching out of the window longingly at the vast sea beyond the jetty. He stood there for a moment or so and smiled an evil smile before he left the premises.

            "We finally meet again."

A/N: Uh-oh, what is he up to? I don't like the looks of this! -_0 Reviews plz! 


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Now that we've seen the other side of town, let's get back to Max's side, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            Virginia dug and swept feverishly at the mound of land a few miles away from her back yard. She and Blake chose this spot to build their cozy home two months before they got married because Blake knew that Virginia would love digging for something ancient and, with luck, might able to find something. Norman was beside to help as Max was still grounded and locked up in his room. The poor boy wasn't let out of his room yet, although he was regularly fed his 3 meals a day (and some snacks in between if Norman could slip him some). Virginia could be really obstinate and firm sometimes. 

            As she dug and dusted, she soon found something solid beneath the sandy soil. Quickly, she called for Norman to assist her in dusting and sweeping off the sand while she used a small spade to dig and pry out the thing that was hidden beneath it. After long hours of work (probably close to sundown), she and Norman had finally found what was hidden beneath the sand and dirt: a huge skeleton of a large dinosaur, probably 50 feet tall and more than 100 feet long starting from the head to the tail. She couldn't see what kind of dinosaur was this, but one thing's for sure: she had finally found something in this provincial village that could prove that she wasn't a nutter after all.

            "I found it! I've finally found something ancient beneath this earth! I knew there was something out here! I just had to persevere!" Virginia said with glee, wiping her sweaty brow, only to smudge it with more dirt.

            "You did it, ma'am! You really did it!" Norman cheered with glee, feeling the same happiness she was feeling right now. Virginia jumped and hugged him. It took them about 5 to 10 seconds to realize that they were in each other's embrace before they hastily let go of each other. Norman quickly cleared his throat.

            "Blake would've been very proud if he knew you have finally succeeded."

            "Yes, yes, that's right…" Virginia couldn't help blushing. What was she doing? Has she…? She didn't dare to think about it.

            "You ought to get ready and send this to the site," Norman muttered sheepishl. "Or do you want the people from the site come here and get them?"

            "No. No, I want to deliver these bones personally to them. The last time I let them come to get one of my finds, they took all the credit. Not this time around. This babe is mine."   

            "So, uh, are you gonna start packing?" Norman asked. "I can help."

            "Later," Virginia said as she moved towards the house. "I need to meet someone first."

                                                                        *

            WarMonger sat there alone, gazing down at the village as usual. Thor tried to make conversation with him but he seemed to be not on Earth. Feeling bored, WarMonger decided to go downstairs to check out and see if there was any new blood coming to join the church. As he moved slowly down, he was shocked to see that his saviour Virginia was in the church wearing a respectable dress and looking around as if looking for something or someone. He stood there stock and dazed. What was she doing here in the church? He had never seen her coming to church before and he had never seen her so pretty in that dress. The first time they met, she was wearing a shirt and an overall. With her blonde hair billowing at her wake, she looked magnificently beautiful. He couldn't help feeling mesmerized and captivated by this sheer beauty.

            Was he beginning to fall in love…?

            "You there, bell-ringer! What are you doing down here again? Haven't you caused enough trouble already?"

            WarMonger was struck back into his senses when he heard the shout of the bishop. The old man still hasn't had any liking for him and he certainly didn't want to make him hate him even more. He immediately ran up the stairs out of sight before the people who come to pray in the church saw him and got scared. Virginia caught a glimpse of his red body and gave chase.

            "Wait! I want to talk to you!"

            WarMonger didn't stop. He continued to run higher and higher into the bowels of his domain: the bell-tower. Thor heard the commotion and crawled quickly down to see. When he saw Virginia running and trying to catch up with the nimble-footed WarMonger, he tried to stop WarMonger from running, egging him on about her.

            "Hey, you don't get dames who would chase you wanting for you!" Thor said excitedly. "Go on, talk to her!"

            "I can't…I…" WarMonger wanted to get away but Virginia finally caught up with him. Thor turned into stone just in time.

            "There you are. I though I've lost you. You're a fast runner for someone as short and stout as you."

            "I, uh, I have loads of…chores to do…and, uh, I'm a very busy man…" WarMonger stuttered sheepishly, feeling his face burn. "It's nice meeting you…again…"

            How lame could he get?! He finally had a chance to talk to this beautiful young woman properly and yet he busted it by saying such a lame excuse as this! He groaned and ran back up to his 'chambers'. Virginia followed suite.

            "Wait! I'm sorry about yesterday, I mean, I didn't know it was actually your face. If I knew, I wouldn't have dragged you to sign up for the…contest…"

            Her words stopped short when she finally came up to WarMonger's 'home'. It was a magnificent sight to behold, with old statues prepped up and arranged in a decorative order, stained glass hanging from the ceiling and clinking like wind chimes, the furniture (though little) placed in order and perfectly cleaned, and the most beautiful attraction of all was a whole mini version of the village and its people gathered around on his table. It was a fabulous place.

            "What is this place?" Virginia asked in awe.

            "This is where I live," WarMonger replied, trying to hide in a darker corner as if his place was really an embarrassing sight. Virginia fingered the stained glass and the miniature village.

            "Did you…make all these things yourself?"

            "Most of them."

            "Wow! That's my home! And that's my son and his friends and their school and…oh my God, it's the blacksmith and the baker! You are a wonderful person, WarMonger. If everyone were able to overlook your grotesque figure, they might be able to see how magnificent you are!"

            "You're just being kind," WarMonger replied sheepishly.

            "No, seriously! If you were my boyfriend I would be so proud."

            "Your boyfriend wouldn't like it."

            Virginia blushed a little as she comprehended what he meant. She shook her hand and replied, "Oh no, you've mistaken. That's not my boyfriend, that's my butler. He was one of my late husband's loyal crews and he works for me after he died."

            "I'm sorry about that," WarMonger said apologetically.

            "It's no big. It was a long time ago," Virginia said half-truthfully; her heart still ached at upon thinking of him and she really hated the sea for that fateful day she heard the news of Blake's death.

            "Come on, I'll show you around, if you don't mind," WarMonger decided to embrace this chance to actually interact with her. He took her around the bell-tower, introducing her to all the bells he had to tow every hour by the hour. All of his bells have names, from Lucy and Suzy ("They're twins") to Ally, Carrie and Stacey ("Triplets") and Big Marie, the biggest bell of all. Finally, he took her up to the top of the tower and they could see the sunset, its dimming rays shone majestically over the horizon. Virginia couldn't help being awed by this astounding scene.

            "This is so beautiful," Virginia sighed. "I could stay up here forever."

            "You could, you know," WarMonger said hopefully.

            "Nah, I don't do church life. Besides, I got a son to feed. A woman's gotta do what a woman's gotta do to keep the family alive, just like everybody else."

            "But you're not like other people, they're…evil."

            "Who told you that?" Virginia asked, taken aback by such comment.

            "My master, SkullMaster. He raised me," WarMonger replied timidly.

            "He sounds like some cruel overlord from the underworld," Virginia muttered, resulting from a shocked look on WarMonger's face.

            "Cruel?! No, he's not cruel! He's never that! He saved my life. He took me in when no one else would. I'm a monster, you know."

            "And he told you that?"

            "Look at me."

            Virginia wrinkled her nose. Someone who saved his life and took him in would never ever tell him that he's ugly. She stared intently back at WarMonger into his yellow devilish eyes for a full 5 minutes before saying, "I don't see anything."

            "See what?" WarMonger asked. 

            "I don't see anything that relates you to a monster. In fact, I don't think you're a monster at all. You're just a regular teenage boy who needs some serious attitude adjustment, that's all. Now you look at me, do you think I'm evil like the rest of the people?"

            "No! No, no, no, of course not!" WarMonger replied, horrified and utterly taken aback by Virginia's sudden comment about herself. "You're kind and good and pure and beautiful and…"

            "OK, OK, I get the idea," Virginia chuckled at WarMonger's attitude of taking things too seriously. "Look, I came here because I wanna explain myself and also to tell you that I'll be leaving this village for the time being."

            "You're leaving?" WarMonger cried. "Where? Where are you going? We just got to know each other!"

            "I'll be away for just a while. I dug a great artifact and I'm going to take it to my archaeology HQ. I'll be back soon, don't worry."

            WarMonger frowned; his face didn't seem convinced at her words. Virginia smiled and dug her pocket. She took WarMonger's hand and put something onto his palm. WarMonger opened his palm and saw that it was a locket. He opened the locket and saw that it was a tiny picture of her posing with Max and Norman near the jetty.

            "If you ever start thinking of me, just look into this locket and always remember that I'm your friend and I'll always be in your heart, no matter what," Virginia said kindly, then looked at her watch and said, "Oh, I gotta get ready. As much as I dread taking the boat and loathe the sea, those bones have to be sent there immediately and I want it to get there before tomorrow afternoon. It's a real long journey from here to there, you know."

            So saying, she leaned forward and gave WarMonger a peck on the forehead just like she always did when she wanted to kiss her son goodbye or goodnight before she left. WarMonger was dumbstruck for a moment and when he had finally got back to his senses, she has already stepped out of the cathedral and into the streets. He stared and stared until she disappeared soundlessly into her home.

            "Way to go, lover boy! You've got her liking you!" Thor suddenly came from behind and butted him on the back with his head. WarMonger smiled sheepishly and scratched his chin for no particular reason.

            "Lover boy? I…don't really think so…"        

            "Oh, don't be modest, WarMonger. She has the hicks for you!"

            "Look," WarMonger said as he walked towards his table of the miniature village. "I appreciate everything you're trying to say, but I'm sure she has better things to do, like managing her son and such. And further more," he pointed at his face, "winner of the horror face contest, remember? I don't think I'm her type anyway."

            "Right…" Thor said slyly, not thoroughly convinced. WarMonger silently took out his materials and, with nimble hands, started carving a small new miniature model of Virginia, the one that he had missed out among all the miniature models he did. He painted her up and placed her near her home near her son. Thor admired the way he could do such things in such a short time without a single flaw. WarMonger took a look at the locket she gave him before walking up to the bells, ready to toll them.

            As he tolled the bells, he smiled blissfully for the first time in his life.

                                                                        *

            Max sulked in his room, bored to death. He still wasn't out of his grounded sentence yet and he had read his comics almost a dozen times. He didn't want to beg Norman to let him out of the room because he didn't want to cause Norman any trouble, but he couldn't find a way out of his room. Most importantly, he was missing his Princess Phoebe terribly. How he wished he was under the sea, swimming around to his heart's content and stare and stare at the beautiful mermaid princess like he had never stared at anyone before in his whole life. How he wished he could be in her arms and whisper sweet nothings to her and caress her skin and kiss her until the end of time, before the Prince Drakeb, his potential rival comes swimming along and take her away right under his nose.

            "Max, you there?" his mother was heard knocking at his door. 

            "Yeah, I'm here. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

            A moment of silence wavered for a second or so. He knew that he had annoyed his mother. He couldn't care less. If he couldn't go out to sea, he might as well spite her for it. Soon, his mother's voice was heard again, "I have finally discovered a fossil at our site. I'm gonna take it out to the HQ and I'm leaving tonight."

            "Yeah, swell," Max said briefly.

            "I gotta go now. You take care."

            "Whatever."

            Footsteps were heard. His mother has left the building. Well, good riddance for now. Judging from Norman's habits, as soon as his mother has completely left, he was sure to let him out of the room as a treat…or would he? He had noticed that Norman had the hicks for his mother and was sure that he would do anything for her, and that means not letting him out of the room unless she says so. Max sighed. There's always a 50-50 for everything. 

            "Poor child. Poor sweet child."

            "He has a very serious problem. What might that be?"

            Max spun round and saw something dark and gloomy, like two black clouds hovering around his room. As the black billowing clouds came into focus, he noticed that it was like a couple of strikingly beautiful women floating around in spirit form, only that they were really black in colour, like smoke. They do smell a little bit like incense and every time they spoke, there was a hiss in the background, like they were surrounded by snakes or something.

            "Who…Who the hell are you?" Max asked, backing away.

            "Our master sends us. He sensed that you need his help," one of them grinned cunningly.

            "Who is your master? I don't know anything about him and I didn't ask for his help!"

            "Oh, but you do! You have a wanting, a yearning to go out to the vast blue out there and meet your sweet, beautiful little sea creature now, haven't you?" the other looked at Max in malice, all the while following her companion as they slipped and slid gracefully among the seams of his furniture. 

            "How did you know?"

            "Our master has his ways of knowing things. He is the Great SkullMaster, the man that has been keeping this village alive and its welfare secured. And he knows that you yearn for that sea creature so much that you would be willing to do _anything_ for her."

            "Think about it, little boy. The Great SkullMaster giving you all that you have been dreaming of for such a long, long time, for just a reasonable payment. You can be with your sea creature together forever in perfect harmony."

            Max was slowly tempted, but he couldn't believe that this mysterious SkullMaster was making a living out of looking into people's secrets and prying into people's privacy. He frowned and said, "No, I don't need your help. You two look evil enough to tell me that your master is up to no good! Go back and tell your master that! Get out of here, leave me alone!"

            "Suit yourself," one of the spirits said nonchalantly. "But I must say that is a very unwise decision."

            "Once in a lifetime, boy," the other spirit said as she deliberately dropped something onto the carpet floor before leaving, passing through the door. Max turned to look and saw that the thing dropped on the floor was a fragment from Princess Phoebe's statue and it was her face.

            Her face so mesmerizing, so ultimately beautiful and so bewitching. The spirits spoke the truth—he would go to the ends of the earth just to be with her. Now that there's a once-in-a-lifetime chance for him to do so, why shouldn't he be doing it? Why give it up? It was right there, served in a silver platter right before him, what has he got to lose? He had made his decision.

            "Hey, girls, wait!"

            "_Yeeeeeeeesssssssssss__~?_" the spirits' snake-like voices rang through the whole house and the door which was locked ever since he was grounded mysteriously opened.

A/N: Oh dear, oh dear. I REALLY hope he knows what he's doing! Reviews plz! 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Now we're getting to the dark and mysterious part of the story~*grins maliciously* Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            Norman was shocked to see Max's bedroom door open and no one in the whole house. He had just came back from sending Virginia off the jetty and decided that it was time to let Max out of the room for a while, despite the fact that she had warned him not to let him out. He thinks that she had been too harsh on him and he deserved a break. Besides it'll only be for a time being. He'll be back in the room again when Virginia comes home.

            But now the trouble was brewing as he found that Max's room was completely empty and the whole house was deserted. He wasn't up in the secret attic—his diving gear were still there neatly stashed in a corner—and he was nowhere near Bea or Felix's house or anyone else's house in particular. He wasn't even in the jetty. He couldn't find him anywhere.

            "Max, oh, Max, sonny boy, where in the blazes are you?"

                                                                        *

            Max followed the spirits quickly yet silently towards their destination. He didn't where he was going and how long had he been running but he was sure that he was getting closer and closer towards his ultimate goal. They swerved right and swerved left, with the blonde-haired-blue-eyed boy trying to keep up with the spirit lot, until finally he found himself standing in front of the abandoned mansion at the far edge of the village.

            Max heard stories about this place when he and his friends were kids—that this place used to belong to an eccentric rich man who couldn't find a wife despite his riches and that he got so lonely and so upset that he went mad and committed suicide in that very house. Max, the adventurous boy he was, had often thought about venturing into this old mansion but he was always dragged away by some grown-ups or driven away by the caretaker of this mansion. Seeing that the spirits glided into the mansion door, he braved himself and pushed the door open, letting himself in.

            Inside the mansion, he could see more spirits hovering around the place. They also smelled of incense but they were not as black as the snake-like spirits that brought him to this freaky house. They were white as cotton and their faces didn't seem much of a happy face at all, they were moaning and groaning and sobbing like they were in some kind of invisible torture. One of them wounded itself around Max, pulling him away from the stairs the black spirits tried to lead him, but one of the black spirits hissed at it, disintegrating it into white smoke. Max felt kind of creepy and cold, but his adventurous and hot-blooded spirit got the hang of him. Finally he stopped in front of a dimly-lit room which was heavily filled with incense smell. He hesitated to walk in when the spirits slipped into the seam of the open door.

            "Come in, come in, sonny boy," a deep voice rumbled from inside the room. As Max stepped in carefully, the voice continued to rumble, "You mustn't lurk in the doorway. It's rude."

            Max almost gasped in awe at the ever cold, menacing SkullMaster standing before him beside a huge cauldron which could probably fit in a full-sized horse and make horse soup out of it. He stood tall and proud in his purple attire: purple body-fitting shirt, light purple tights and violet boots and cape. There was something in his cold piercing eyes that reminded Max of someone else but he couldn't put a mind to it who it was.

            "I know why you're here," SkullMaster said as he took his staff and stirred the cauldron. Mists came out of it, forming an image of Max's long-time love, Princess Phoebe. "You're absolutely heads over heels for this little mermaid of yours. Well, I don't blame you. She quite a catch now, isn't she?"

            Max blushed. He didn't think that he was so transparent that even someone who lived far away from civilization would know about his secret. SkullMaster grinned and waved his staff over the mists, making it disappear.

            "Well then, sonny boy. The solution to your problem is simple. The only way to get what you want is to become a merman yourself."

            Max gasped in awe. Him, becoming a merman and live and breathe among the merpeople and alongside with his true love? That would be simply awesome! He asked tentatively, "Can you…do that?"

           "My dear sweet sonny boy," SkullMaster ruffled Max's head beneath the red cap he always wore wherever he went. "That's exactly the things that I do. It's what I'm here for, to help unfortunate people like yourself. Why do you think I would pay so much for your village and your church if not for the well-being of it all? But I must say you are the first person in this village except the church members who has ever seen my true face. Do not tell anyone. I like to keep a low profile."

            Max nodded. He would apply to any condition necessary for him to be with his Princess Phoebe.

            "Well, before we come to any deals, I always start with the discussion of something to pay with," SkullMaster reminded the hot-blooded teen.

            "But…But I don't have…" Max was struck into reality when he didn't bring his wallet along for this. He didn't expect to pay anything until the job is done.

            "I'm not asking much," SkullMaster said with an assuring voice. "Just a token and we'll be joyful! What I want from you is a rose."

            "A rose?" Max repeated.

            "Yes, boy, a rose. But not just some ordinary rose you can get from your neighbour's garden, oh no. You have to get the rose from the castle of the Beastess."

            "The…The Beastess?! You mean that castle where it was rumoured to be lurking with dark, gloomy demons and their leader would be the legendary Beastess?!"

            "Yes, that's the one," SkullMaster replied. "In her garden lay bushes upon bushes of roses and you must pick the freshest, biggest and reddest one. That's your first payment."

            "There's more to pay? What else do you need, a gargoyle's egg or a dragon's horn or…"

            "Just a small finishing touch to the debts. Your voice."

            This time Max was really struck. He touched his throat and stammered, "M…My voice?"

            "You got it, sonny boy. No more talking, singing, zip!"

            "But…But without my voice…" Max tried to reason with him, "how can I…"

            "Talk with your sweetheart?" SkullMaster finished for him. "You've got your looks and your handsome face. And don't underestimate the importance of the body language. Now go, get me the rose first, or else we have no deal."

            Without warning and within seconds, Max found himself standing in front of the mansion again, dazed and dumbfounded. He couldn't believe that this mysterious SkullMaster would demand such a ridiculous payment that might cost him his life. The legend about the Beastess wasn't fake either; many have been there and never ever returned. Norman did tell him about seeing the castle where the Beastess resides and was lucky to pass by there alive without being seen. All this trouble just to make a stupid payment to transform him into a merman!

            A merman…He began to imagine himself swimming side by side with Princess Phoebe without the care in the world, living forever in the depths of the sea heedless of anything going on in the shore. Her beautiful face and her flawless skin were irresistible to the touch…surely such a transformation was worth all the trouble and the payment, even if it means unable to talk to her…He never exactly talked to her face to face during his secret visits anyway…

            Finally, his footsteps could be heard echoing down the village road towards the jetty to catch the last boat that was leaving Fishermen's Friend Village.

                                                                                    *

            Virginia struggled to open her eyes. She didn't know how long was she unconscious but she was sure that she was nowhere on the ship that she was taking to her archaeology HQ. She slowly picked up her drenched body and stood up, staggering a little before getting her bearing straight. She looked around and saw that she was standing on a small cliff that was about a few miles away from a huge dense forest just before her. Absentmindedly, she walked towards the forest, not caring what might be ahead of her as long as it led her to some kind of shelter.

            As her mind began to clear, she recalled what had happened to her: she was on her way to her archaeology HQ with the precious dinosaur bones she got from the hill mound behind her home. She had not known for sure what species were the bones of this dinosaur is, but she had an idea that it could be a brontosaurus or something larger than that. Before she could pay more attention to the bones, her ship was caught in a storm and she found herself hanging on for dear life not to drown because this discovery was one of a kind and she wasn't willing to let this chance go away. But all was lost as the ship hit something solid and she found her and the bones flung straight down to the depths of the sea. She clung for her dear life on a small piece of plank and fell unconscious as a huge wave brought her a dozen feet high up to the sky and sent her crashing down on solid ground. When she opened her eyes, she found herself on that small cliff.

            She continued to trudge on, hoping to find some place to stay and hang out for a while before leaving back home empty-handed and dreams gone. Suddenly she felt as if there was a sort of spooky presence around her. She looked around but saw nothing. She quickened her pace and soon felt the aura dangerously close and threatening. She braved herself to look around and saw that it was a pack of hungry wolves tailing behind her, their yellow eyes giving her a dangerous look. Seeing that she had discovered their silent stalking, they didn't bother to hide anymore. They went charging at her with their teeth bare, ready to chomp her flesh off and fill their stomachs. Virginia let out a horrified scream and started running, trying to get away from those hungry wolves and avoid herself from being wolves' dinner. She fell once or twice, scraping her skin and skinning her face and legs, but she kept on running. Her clothes began to tear and was close to become that of a beggar's clothes, but she pressed on, all the while trying to keep her feet moving as she could feel the wolves gaining close, snapping at her ankles.

            Soon, she saw a huge gate in front of her. It stood tall at about 10 or 15 feet above her and for a minute there she felt like a midget before this gate. It was as black as soot and its towering height seemed menacing and dark, but seeing that the wolves were incoming closer and closer towards her, she couldn't care less anymore. She pushed the gate open and barged into it. She slammed it shut just in the nick of time before the wolves were able to clamp their jaws onto her thigh. They did pull at her jeans but Virginia hastily kicked it away, sending it whining back into the forests. The rest of the pack followed suite. When she noticed that she was perfectly safe from harm's way, she finally turn around to have a good look at what place has kept her from becoming a human sushi.

            What displayed in front of her shocked her and struck her with awe.

A/N: What has she seen? Try thinking somewhere in one of the Disney movies. Reviews plz! 


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Let's get on with the story and off with the suspense, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            What stood before her was a sight to behold, and a scary sight too, for it was a tall and dark, looming castle up ahead, standing tall and majestic in its own spooky way. It looked really sinister, like someone or _something _was lurking in the bowels of the castle and it towered above her like a giant—an evil giant at that—and it seemed as if it has been there for a very, very long time indeed. The lightning and thunder in the background contributed more towards its sinister structure.  

            That's when she realized that it was starting to rain. She quickly shielded her head and ran straight into the castle regardless of how sinister and scary it looked. She had to find shelter and she couldn't risk getting sick. She went to the huge front door and pounded it, hoping someone would open. The door did open, but it opened by itself and there was no one there to greet her. She took a peek inside before the rain outside began to force her to let herself in the castle.

            "Hello? Hello~?" Virginia tried to call out for anyone. She thought she heard some distant whispering but couldn't see anyone. She tried her luck again. "Is someone there? I don't mean to intrude but…I was shipwrecked and got stranded here…and, err, I need a place to stay for the night."

            "Virgil, come on, have a heart," she thought heard a voice whispered, then a hush followed by a loud scream of pain before hearing the voice clearer, "Of course, madam, you're welcome here."

            "Who said that?" Virginia muttered as she grabbed a candelabra which had a figurine of a lady holding out the candles.

            "Over here!" the voice replied. Virginia turned around towards the voice but still couldn't see anyone. She felt a sudden tinkle on her head and she turned around to see the candelabra figurine she was holding was actually smiling at her and greeted, "Hello."

            Virginia gasped and let go of the candelabra. The candelabra figurine groaned and slowly sat up on her own, rubbing her aching golden head. Suddenly a clock the shape of a chicken in robes came out of nowhere and started grumbling at the candelabra.

            "Now, you've done it, Rusty! Splendid! Just peachy! Yagh!"

            The clock let out a yelp as Virginia picked him up with much curiosity. She shook and rattled the clock, trying to figure out what made him move so animatedly. The candelabra, whose name's Rusty, giggled. The clock finally groaned in exasperation and said, "Madam, put me down at once, do you mind?"

            "I…I'm sorry," Virginia apologized. "It's just that I've never seen someth…"

            Virginia didn't get to finish her words as she found herself sneezing loudly at the clock's face, as in literally his face (the face that shows the time was on his belly). Rusty sighed in pity.

            "Oh, you are soaked to the bone, madam. Come, warm yourself by the fire."

            "Thank you," Virginia replied gratefully.

           The clock had horror struck on his face as he protested on and on behind them towards the master living room, "No, no, no, you are not going to be taking her into the living room. That's the Mistress's private quarters and I demand you to stop that at once! Oh no, no, not the Mistress's chair!"

            More animated objects came barging in to help Virginia make her feel more comfortable, despite the clock's protests of "I'm not seeing this! I'm not seeing this!" A footrest that barked like a dog came and propped her feet. A coat hanger came to life and wrapped her in blanket. The clock stood up and grumbled loudly.

            "Alright! This has gone far enough! I'm in charge her and I'm…"

            His words were stopped short when a trolley came zooming in ridden by a talking coffeepot and coffee cup, saying, "How would you like to have a cup of coffee, dear? It'll warm you up in no time."

            "No, no coffee!" the clock said in a muffle before lifting his flat face off the carpet and yelled, "No coffee!"

            No one seemed to pay much attention to this obsessive, over-bearing chicken clock. As they chit-chatted merrily, the door of the living room suddenly banged open. All the animated objects' faces switched from hospitable to horror, as if shocked yet half-expecting this to happen. The fire extinguished itself out of fear. The coffee cup jumped out of Virginia's hand and hid behind the trembling coffeepot. Virginia heard some sniffing sounds, like a dog sniffing a scent and a sort of deep rumbling, like a tiger or a lion's purr. She didn't dare to turn around. She sat on the chair trembling.

            "There's a stranger here," Virginia heard a rumbling voice behind here. It sounded like a female voice, only deeper.

            "Mistress, allow me to explain," Rusty immediately tried to clear things up. "You see, this woman was shipwrecked, stranded in this place and got lost in the woods and so we were thinking…"

            A loud roar was heard. This creature didn't seem to be in a mood to listening to excuses.

            "Mistress, I would like to have this moment to say," the clock said timidly. "I was against it from the start. It was all her fault, I tried to stop her, but no, she wouldn't listen…"

            Another roar stopped his explanation short.

            Virginia decided to turn around and see who this bad-tempered creature was and the first thing that came across her eyes was a pair of copper-brown eyes. Virginia yelped in horror and staggered back, falling off the chair on the process.

            "Who are you?!" the 'Mistress' demanded. "What are you doing here?!"

            "I…I was lost in the woods and…" Virginia couldn't help trying to look how this creature looked like—it was too dark for her to see its real form. Her staring eyes obviously offended the ogress-like creature as she towered over her with her flaming copper-brown eyes.

            "What are you staring at?!"

            "No…Nothing…"

            "So, you've come to stare at The Beastess, have you?!"

            "I-I-I beg your pardon, miss, but…I-I-I just needed a place to stay…"

            "I'll give you a place to stay!!" The Beastess growled and grabbed the collar of her blouse. In the midst of her protests, The Beastess carried her with one hand out of the living room and slammed the door with the other, leaving the cowering animated objects in the dark.

                                                                        *

            Max sat in the food compartment, being careful not to be seen. He had stowed away on the boat as soon as it was about to leave and was lucky to wriggle his way into the food compartment of the boat. So far throughout the journey for goodness knows how long it was, he had full access to food and was able to eat whenever he wanted (of course, he had to save some for the crew of the boat) and he had only just eaten a few pickles and some raw turtle eggs. He dug his pockets and took out his late father's compass. Ever since his father passed away, he had been carrying the compass around everywhere he went, like a lucky charm or something. He checked the bearings and remembered Norman saying that the legendary Beastess's lair was at the north-east of the Earth, following Venus the Evening Star, and so as long as he continued going north-east, he should be there.

            He looked out of the window and into the vast blue sea. He had never venture further away from home than this, only deeper, literally. This was the first time he ventured away from his provincial village out into the sea. The only time he ever got on a boat was his father's ship, and that was only for fun. He was never taken out to voyages, until now, that is.

            Soon he saw that the boat was straying away from the Evening Star towards the south. That was his cue to get off the boat and venture towards his destination on his own. He wriggled out of the window of the food compartment and held on, moving cautiously towards the small rowing boats that were hanging at the side of the big boat. Luckily it was hung on his side, or he had to climb a long way to the other side and might risk falling into the sea. He climbed into one of the rowing boats, lowered himself down to the sea and undid the cord that connected his boat with the main boat. Taking one last look at his compass and mentally thanking the big boat that took him all the way this far, he rowed slowly towards the north-east once more, following the Evening Star. 

            After about a few hours of rowing, when the sun began to set and the moon began to rise, he finally reached his destination. Hiding the boat inside a dense bush and covering it with a few dead branches thick with leaves, he took a deep breath and started trudging through the heavily thick forest which loomed over him like a gloomy, cold and sinister gateway to the scary, unknown world he was going to encounter. To release his tension and anxiety over this place, he started talking to himself, giving himself some mental encouragement.

           "OK, so here we are in this dense place and I'll soon be moving towards The Beastess's lair…Alright, this is suicidal, but I'm willing to do anything to be with Phoebe…ahh, my Phoebe, how I long to be in your embrace…Get a grip on yourself, Max, you are way beyond the boundaries of civilization…! What? Am I scared? Am I afraid of danger? That's not me! I laugh at the face of danger—"

            His words stopped short when he finally found himself standing in front of the dark and menacing 15-feet gate.

                                                                        *

            "Couldn't keep our mouths shut, could we? Just have to invite her to stay, didn't we? Serve him coffee, sit in the Mistress's chair, pet the pooch…"

            Rusty the candelabra and the clock, whose name was Virgil, were having a heated discussion about Virginia's incident. Virgil obviously didn't want Rusty to forget about this mistake so easily, although it had already been two days since the incident.

            "I was trying to be hospitable!" Rusty tried to make her point but Virgil wouldn't hear of it.

            "I don't know what you were thinking. You are so slack-jawed that I bet you can't even keep your mouth shut even if I stuffed a whole glass of paraffin inside your mouth…"   

            "Hello? Anyone here?"

            Rusty and Virgil's argument stopped short when they heard Max's voice echoing down the castle. They got off the table and took a peek. They soon saw Max with his T-shirt, red cap, jeans and all walking down the hallway as if looking for someone. Rusty gasped in awe.

            "It's a boy!"

            "I know it's a boy, woman! Duh!" Virgil snorted in frustration. 

            "Don't you see? He's the one! The one we have been waiting for!" Rusty hissed excitedly. "He has come to break the spell!"

            Without hesitation, Rusty clattered down the hall, deliberately making herself heard. Virgil followed behind anxiously. The clattering of their bodies attracted Max's attention. Max soon found himself being led by their scurrying down to the dungeons of the castle. He tried to call out but of course, they didn't answer.

            "That's strange, I'm sure that there was someone," Max muttered to himself before raising his voice, "Is anyone there?"

            "Max?" Virginia's surprised voice came from one of the dungeon doors. Max was taken aback. He rushed towards the dungeon door and found his mother in it, practically frozen and shivering with extreme cold.

            "Mom? What are you doing here? I thought you've gone to…oh God, your hands are like ice!"

            "How did you…never mind. Listen to me, Max," Virginia said anxiously. "You have to get out of here. It's really dangerous!" 

            "Who's done this to you, Mom?" Max demanded.

            "No time to explain. You must go now!" 

            "But I can't leave you—"

            "What are you doing here?!"

            A loud booming voice rang through the dungeons and a sharp tug on his hand forced Max to let go of the torch he was holding and it extinguished in one of the puddle on the rocky floor, leaving only a small ray of light from the seam of the ceiling. Max looked around and saw a huge figure in front of him that stood at about 10 feet tall. It looked frightening and its copper-brown eyes that gleamed under the dim light contributed more to its menacing form.

            "Who…Who is it? Who are you?" Max asked, trembling.

            "The Mistress of this castle," the figure replied.

            "Please, I beg you, let my Mom go. Can't you see she's freezing to death here?"

            "Then she shouldn't have trespassed here! And neither should you!!"

            "But she could die here. Please, I'll do anything…" Though the grudge over her still hang, Max didn't have the heart to leave her here to die a cold and horrible death.

            "There's nothing you can do," the figure said, turning away. "She's my prisoner."

            "Oh, there must be some way I can…" Max wracked his brains to think, then suddenly came up with a plan. He called out to the figure, stopping it at its tracks. "Wait!"

            The figure turned around, looking at him sideways. Max took a deep breath and blurted it out.

            "Take me instead."

            "You?!" the figure snorted at first, then turned to max with a surprised look in its eyes. "You will…take his place?"

            "No, Max! You don't know what you're doing!" Virginia yelled in horror, but Max ignored her.

            "If I did," Max asked, "will you let her go?"

            "Yes," the figure replied. "But…you must promise to stay here forever."

            Max stared at the figure for a while. He was curious at the way the figure kept itself in the dark, as if trying to hide what it looked like. Could it be that this is…? Max had to know.

            "Come into the light."

            The figure hesitated a little, then obliged. Slowly it moved closer and closer towards the ray of light that came from the seam of the ceiling. Max widened his eyes when the figure came into full view: it was a female and had red flaming hair, like fire itself. Her eyes, which were copper-brown, shone under the light. She stood about 10 feet tall and her skin was quite scaly, with the sickly colour of green. She looked so menacingly tall, scary and evil that Max couldn't help thinking that she had ascended from hell. He couldn't suppress the gasp in his throat as he come to realize that she was the legendary Beastess.

            "No, Max, I won't let you do this!" Virginia's urging voice rang behind him. Max opened his eyes, a determined look on his face. It's about time she stopped telling him what to do and not to do if she wants to live and if she knows what's good for her. Besides, he had a mission to accomplish, and he would do anything to complete it. He walked up to The Beastess and stared straight at her copper-brown eyes.   

            "You have my word."

            "Done!" The Beastess boomed and walked towards the dungeon door, opening the prison that kept Virginia from freedom. Max fell onto his knees, going weak all over. He couldn't believe that he actually traded his freedom for his mother's life just like that. That's something he had never done before in his whole life. 

            "Please, Max, listen to me. I've lost your father at sea, and I cannot let you die out here in this hellish place covered by this forest and…"

            Virginia couldn't finish her words as she was tugged and dragged away by The Beastess out of the dungeons. Max wanted to say his side of his last words but he had half-expected this to happen. He could tell that this Beastess was not someone who would let nonsense get in the way. He watched sadly as his mother disappeared slowly out of sight.

            "Please, I beg of you, miss," Virginia said tearfully as her cold limp body dangled over The Beastess's shoulder as she slung the mother across her shoulders and trudged through the forest out towards the open sea. "Please spare my son. He's all I've got now…"

            "He's no longer your concern, woman," The Beastess growled as she whistled out loud. Soon an oar-less boat moved slowly up shore towards its mistress. The Beastess threw Virginia onto the boat and ordered, "Take her back to where she came from."

            From the castle, Max could hear his mother protesting loudly and ordering the boat to stop as the boat took her further and further away from the island where The Beastess's lair lay.

A/N: Gee, now that's one separation you don't see everyday. Reviews plz!      


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: What will happen to Max next? Read on!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            After throwing Virginia into the oar-less boat and watched it go further and further away from the island, she stomped back to the castle she had been staying in for many, many long years. Once she stepped into the castle and made her way up to the tower, Rusty called out tentatively, "Err…Mistress?"

            "What?" The Beastess snapped at the candelabra figurine.

            "You know, since the boy would be living here for quite some time," Rusty tried to put her thoughts into words without offending her hot-tempered Mistress, "I was thinking that you might offer him a more…comfortable room…"

            Her suggestion was replied with a frustrated growl, blowing out all her candles before walking past her.

            "Then again, maybe not."

            Max stared from the tower and watched as his mother disappeared slowly out of sight. He sighed and hoped that his mother would forgive him for the decision he had just made. As he was still distracted by the vast scenery of the forest and the sea before him, The Beastess's came slowly up to the tower and stood there looking at Max who was still staring out at the tower window. It took a few seconds for Max to realize The Beastess's presence.

            "Oh, sorry, I was a little distracted," max apologized as he stood up to brace himself to be thrown in the dungeons.

            The Beastess stared a little longer at Max before she said hesitantly, "I'll show you to your room."

            "My room?" Max was surprised. Wasn't he supposed to be a prisoner? He asked, "But I thought…"

            "What, you wanna stay in this tower?" The Beastess gestured at the place he was in.

            "Well, no, but…"

            "Then follow me."

            Max could do or say nothing more. This Beastess seemed authoritative enough. He followed behind The Beastess while feasting his eyes over the decorations of the hallway they were walking. The place was as sinister as The Beastess herself. It was practically decorated with gargoyle, weird beasts, griffin and creepy Greek statues and portraits and paintings of gargoyles, demons, fallen angels and loads of other creepy paintings you definitely do not want to have in your living room. The hallway was lit with only candles on candle stands, which made the place even creepier. Max couldn't help feeling that he was going to spend the rest of his sorry life in this god forsaken place if he didn't hurry up and find a way to get out of there and get the rose for SkullMaster's payment.

            The Beastess looked sideways at Max who was putting on a face of slight worry. She somehow felt a little guilty for him and was quite amazed that such a young boy like him would dare to trade the rest of his life to stay here in his mother's place. If only she could do something to ease his tension about this place…

            "Say something to him," Rusty, who was being held by The Beastess, whispered to her ear.

          "I…uh…hope you like it here," The Beastess said tentatively. Max almost huffed; how could he like a place like this? Rusty ushered her Mistress to say something more. She turned her head around again and said, "The castle is your home now, so you can go anywhere you like, except the East Wing."

            The East Wing? Curiosity got the better of Max as he asked, "What's the East Wi…"

            "It's forbidden!" The Beastess suddenly snapped at him, taking him by surprise. Forbidden? What's so forbidden about a part of the castle? The Beastess's copper-brown eyes that bore into Max's blue ones made it clear that when he was forbidden, he _was_ forbidden. Max decided to put the questions aside as he continued to follow The Beastess to his room.

            Finally, after what seemed like a walk forever, he found himself standing beside The Beastess at his room. The Beastess opened the door for him and he peeked in. the only light that radiated the place was the ray of the moon coming from the open window and he could make out his room to be a very big and spacious place, with a canopy bed and a table and all the necessities a deluxe room is needed. He stepped into the room tentatively and heard The Beastess's deep voice behind him saying, "Now, if you need anything, my servants will attend you."

            "Dinner! Invite him to dinner!" Rusty whispered at The Beastess's ear, out of Max's earshot.

            "You will…join me for dinner," The Beastess said with a small demanding pride in her voice. "That's not a request!"

            With that, The Beastess slammed the door at his back. Max winced before rushing towards the bed and punching the pillows. He felt an unexplainable anger towards this whole deal. He was angry of the fact that he had to go through all this trouble just to get a stupid rose for the payment of SkullMaster to make him a merman. He was frustrated that he might have to spend the rest of his life in this place if he failed in his first mission and was angry at the fact that he was actually trading his life to live with this grotesque Beastess instead of living with his true love Phoebe in the sea.

            But then again, it was the thought of being with Phoebe that kind of calmed him down. The thought of being able to caress her dark chocolate-brown hair and kiss her sweet rosy lips without worrying that he was going to drown made him feel better again about this whole payment mission deal.

            "I gotta get out of here fast!" Max groaned as he plopped his head onto the bed.

            Back in Fishermen's Friend Village, Norman was thrown into a panic frenzy. As soon as he saw an unconscious Virginia coming back from The Beastess's island, he sent her straight to the nearest clinic. The doctor told him that she had suffered quite a serious trauma that she had fallen into a coma. There was no telling when she would wake up. Norman tried diving into the sea to the merpeople's place to see if he was there watching his dream princess Phoebe but he wasn't there. He even sent a search party to check out if he was around the neighbourhood but to no avail. Felix and Bea, who helped in the search, were getting worried.

            "Poor Mrs. Deanhart," Felix said as he and Bea stood near the jetty, looking far out into the sea. "She hasn't been awake for about a month now, and the doctors say that isn't good news. Her trauma must be really bad."

            "Where could Max be?" Bea asked. "I thought he was supposed to be grounded and not let out of his room."

            "Even Norman couldn't go that fast back home to open the door for him. And there is no way he could get out—I mean he hasn't been out when Mrs. Deanhart's around. He had to get help from somewhere."

            "Well, wherever he is, I just hope he's OK."

            Without them knowing, SkullMaster was around the area checking on the boats and just so happen to overhear their conversation. He smiled inwardly with an evil twinkle in his eyes and thought, 'Soon my dues will be received…'

            Max woke up at a slight rattling sound at the door. He then recalled his ordeal before. He assumed he must have dozed off out of fatigue. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and asked, "Who is it?"

            "Normie here!" a woman's voice replied. He almost thought it was Norman, for he always called Norman as 'Normie', but judging by the voice, he decided otherwise. As he opened the door, the coffeepot bounced in cheerfully and said, "I thought you might like a cup of coffee or something."

            Max was shocked beyond comparison. He backed away with his blue eyes wide open, stammering, "But you're a…you're a…"

            "Oh! Careful!"

            Max turned around in surprise to see that the wardrobe he had bumped on was actually talking and smiling at him. His knees went all weak as he slumped to the floor, "This…Man! This is impossible! Am I hallucinating or something?"

            "Nope, you're not," the wardrobe replied as she threw herself on the bed. "And I know it's impossible, but here we are!"

            "Told you he was handsome, Mom, didn't I?" the coffee cup said with a smug to Normie the coffeepot.

            "Alright, Junior now, that'll do," Normie replied as she poured some coffee into her son. "Slowly now. Don't spill."

            Max stared in awe as Junior the coffee cup bounded towards him, but seeing that there's no harm done and that they were all talking to him like it was pretty much a normal thing, he decided to get used to it. He thanked Junior and picked him up to drink when Junior said he could do a trick. He actually blew bubbles in the coffee (**A/N: Can't really describe it. Just imagine the scene where Chip from Beauty & the Beast did it**) and was disapproved by Normie. Junior grinned and apologized, much to Max's amusement.

            "That was a very brave thing you did, my dear, trading yourself for your mother," Normie commented.

            "We all think so," the wardrobe commented.

            "Yeah, not to mention losing my life, my dreams, everything," Max replied glumly, still unable to believe that he had just did what he did.

            "Cheer up, child," Normie said kindly. "It'll turn out alright in the end. You'll see. Oh! Listen to me! Jabbering on when there's dinner to prepare on the table! Junior, come along now."

            "Bye!" Junior bid Max jovially as he bounced off with his mother. Max was impressed. They sure were able to take their oddity very well indeed.

            "Well then, what shall we dress you in for dinner?" the wardrobe said, getting Max's attention. "Let's see what I got in my drawers…Ahh! Here we are!" she said as she took out a nice suit, "you look ravishing in this one…"

            "Uh, thanks a lot but…" Max declined the suit she gave him. "I'm not exactly going down to dinner."

            The wardrobe gasped, "But you must!"

            Before Max could make his point, Virgil the clock came in and cleared his throat before announcing, "Dinner is served."

            Meanwhile, in the dining room, The Beastess was pacing back and forth, waiting impatiently for Max to join her for dinner. As she paced on and on, she muttered, "What's taking him so long. I thought I told him to come down. Why isn't he here yet?!"

            "Oh, be patient, miss," Normie replied. "The boy has lost his mother and his freedom all in one day."

            "Mistress**," **Rusty noted. "Have you ever thought that perhaps he might be the one to break the spell?"

            "Of course I have!" The Beastess snapped. "I'm not a fool!"

            "Good! So he falls in love with you, you fall in love with him and POOF! The spell is broken! We'll be human again by midnight!"

            "No, Rusty, it's not that easy," Normie shook her head. "These things take time."

            "But the rose has already begun to wilt!" Rusty argued.

            "It's no use," The Beastess growled. "He's so handsome and I'm…well, look at me!!"

            Rusty and Normie shrugged helplessly. They knew what The Beastess meant, but they dare not say it out. Normie turned to The Beastess and said, "Well, you must help him to see past all that."

            "I don't know how!"

            "Well, you can start by making yourself more presentable," Normie said as she jumped off the fireplace where she was standing and got on the dining table. "Straighten up! Try to be more like a lady!"

            "Yes, yes," Rusty joined in the conversation. "And when he comes in, give him a sweet, lovely smile. Come, come, show me the smile."

            Needless to say, her smile turned out anything but sweet and lovely. Normie groaned and she and Rusty talked back and forth, confusing the frustrated Beastess.

            "Don't frighten the poor boy."

            "Impress him with your radiance."

            "But don't overdo it."

            "Show him you're confident."

            "But be sincere."

            "And above all," this time, Rusty and Normie said it together, "_You must control your temper!_"

            The door of the dining room creaked. The Beastess waited in anticipation but was disappointed to see Virgil at the door instead, greeting timidly, "Good evening."

            "Well? Where is he?" The Beastess demanded.

            "Oh, the boy," Virgil laughed nervously while looking for an excuse. "Well, he's in the process of…well, circumstances, what they are…well…He's not coming."

            "WHAT?!"

            Almost immediately, The Beastess came crashing out of the dining room towards Max's room, with Virgil, Rusty and Normie protesting in the background. Once she reached his room, she pounded furiously at the door.

            "I thought I told you to come down to dinner!"

            "I'm not hungry!" Max replied from the inside.

            "You come out or I'll…I'll…I'll break down the door!"

            "Mistress," Rusty chuckled nervously as she voiced out. "I could be wrong but that might not be the best way to win a boy's affection."

            "Please, attempt to be a lady," Virgil begged.

            "But he is being so difficult!" The Beastess growled at the door.

            "Gently, gently," Normie coaxed her to try again. The Beastess obliged.

            "Will you come down to dinner?"

            "No!"

            "Hmm?!" The Beastess pointed at the door but Virgil guided her to talk some more. As The Beastess said it again gently (well, tried to), they could see, as they fear, her hackles rising up, meaning that she has lost her patience.

            "It would give me great pleasure if you would join me for dinner…"

            "You forgot to say 'Please'," Virgil whispered.

            "Please."

            "Thanks, but no thanks, babe!" Max was still adamant. The Beastess finally lost it altogether.

            "You can't stay there forever!"

            "I think I perfectly can!" Max replied in a mocking tone.

            "Fine! Then go ahead and STARVE!!!" The Beastess roared, then turned to her servants and growled, "If he doesn't eat with me, then he doesn't eat at all!"

            With that, The Beastess bounded furiously on all fours towards the East Wing, banging the door as she went. The tiny animated objects winced and waited until all was silent before Normie broke the ice.

            "Oh dear, that didn't go very well at all, did it?"

            "Rusty," Virgil turned to the candelabra, "stand watch at the door and inform me at once if there is the slightest change."

            "You can count on me, Mon Capitan!" Rusty saluted and stood by the door on full alert. Virgil sighed and turned to Normie.

            "Well, I guess we'll just head back to the kitchen and start cleaning up."

            The Beastess crashed into the forbidden East Wing, where her private quarters were. She banged at everything she could see as she muttered angrily to herself.

            "I ask him nicely but he refuses! What else does he want me to do, beg?!"

            The Beastess reached over and grabbed a hand mirror. It was placed beside a hovering, glowing rose inside a belljar and it was made out of the finest ivory the world has ever seen, carved in a certain complicated pattern no one could ever duplicate. It was as if made by a goddess with nimble, skillful hands. She took it to her face and demanded, "Show me the boy!"

            The reflection of her on the mirror changed and in its place showed Max sitting on his bed looking very frustrated and disgusted and the wardrobe leaning on the bed beside him.

            "Well, the Mistress is not so bad once you get to know her," the wardrobe forced a laugh. "Why don't you give her a chance?"

            "I don't wanna get to know her!" Max exclaimed. "As far as I'm concerned, I don't wanna have anything to do with her! I'll just get what I want and find a way out of this dump!"

            The Beastess put away the mirror exasperatedly. She had heard enough. She knew this would happen. Her heart ached with Max's words about her.

            "It's no use. He'll never see me as anything…but a monster…"

            As she spoke, another petal fell from the hovering rose onto the tiny heap of petals below it.

            "It's hopeless…"

A/N: Oh boy. And I thought I had identity problems. Well, there always something new ahead, and that means new chappie! So carry on reading, coz you're in for a hunk of fun! Reviews plz!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Guess we'll have to continue reading to know the story now, don't we? Let the story continue!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            Later that night, the door of Max's room slowly creaked open. Max peeked out of the door to see if The Beastess was still around. So far, so good. He was quite scared to death when the Beastess suddenly banged his door and yelled her lungs out at him when he refused her dinner invitation, and he was so pissed off at her that he was determined to stay there and not come out. But in the end, his anger made his hunger worse, and he had to admit, before The Beastess even invited him to dinner, he was already a tad hungry. Slowly, he crept out of his room and made his way downstairs to the kitchen.

            On his way, without him noticing, he passed by the hallway where Rusty and her boyfriend the broom were behind the curtains playing romantic games with each other. When Rusty noticed Max out of his room, she was horrified and immediately dumped her boyfriend in the mid-game and chased after Max. By then, the steam between her and her boyfriend were broken off rudely and the broom was left there to pout.

            Inside the kitchen, all the animated objects were cleaning up after themselves. The uneaten dinner was all stocked up in the food shelves and all the culinary were put away. While Normie tucked Junior into the cupboard to sleep (Junior insisted that he wasn't sleepy, but fell off to sleep anyway), the stove complained loudly to himself.

            "I work and slave all day long and for what? This culinary masterpiece gone to waste!"

            "Oh, stop your grouching. It's been a long night through for us," Normie stopped him short.

            "Well, if you ask me, that boy was just being stubborn," Virgil said as he wiped his hands and threw the towel onto the rack. "After all, the Mistress did say 'Please'."

            "But if the Mistress doesn't learn to control that temper, she'll never break the—"

            "Splendid to see you up and about, Little Master!" Virgil cut Normie's talk short when he saw Max stepping in slowly into the kitchen. He reached out to shake his hand, saying, "I'm Virgil, master butler of this castle and…" this is where the frantic Rusty jumped in front of him, much to his distaste, "this is Rusty."

            "A great pleasure to see you, Little Master," Rusty said as she kissed Max's hand. She can be sentimental and over-romantic at times.

            "Is there—stop kissing him—anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable?" Virgil cut back in front of Rusty, earning a serious burn from her candle.

            "Well, I am a little hungry," Max admitted, scratching his chin sheepishly.

            "You are?" Normie asked, sounding delighted. "Hear that? He's hungry! Start the fire! Bring out the silver! Wake the china!"

            "Remember what the Mistress said!" Virgil hissed. He was a work-to-rule kind of person and really disliked things that didn't go into order, especially when it comes to breaking the Mistress's rules.

            "Oh, pish-posh! I'm not going to let that poor child go hungry!"

            "Oh, alright! A glass of water, a crust of bread, and then…"

            "Virgil," Rusty shoved Virgil's shoulder. "I'm surprised at you. He's not our prisoner; he's our guest. We must make him feel welcome here. Right this way, Little Master."

            "Well…keep it down," Virgil finally relented. "If the Mistress finds out it'll be our necks, you know."

            "Of course, of course," Rusty waved Virgil's worries away. "But what is dinner without a little…music?"

            So, despite Virgil's disapproving protests, Rusty and her fellow animated objects entertained Max with a little song and dance while Max gorged himself to all the food laid before him. Max tried a little of everything that was served there: beef ragout, cheese soufflé, pie and even pudding 'en-flambé'. There was so much for him to eat that he couldn't keep track. By the time the entertainment was done, he was practically stuffed. The music was pretty cool and he was impressed at how well Rusty sang, including Normie and a few dubbing from Virgil himself (he seems to be enjoying it). Max clapped his hands with glee.

            "Bravo! Encore, encore! That was way cool, guys! Great show!"

            "Thank you, thank you," Virgil bowed humbly. "Good show, wasn't it? Oh, goodness, look at the time! Now it's off to bed, off to bed."

            "Man, I don't think I can sleep a wink right now!" Max chuckled. "It's my first time in the enchanted castle."

            "Enchanted? Who said anything about the castle being enchanted?" Virgil laughed nervously, then turned to Rusty accusingly. "You, wasn't it?"

            "I, uh, figured it out quite by myself, actually," Max grinned in amusement as he watched the candelabra and the clock bickering and fighting with each other. He stood up and said, "I'd like to look around, if that's alright with you guys."

            "Oh, would you like a tour?" Rusty offered, but was stopped by Virgil.

            "I don't really think it's such a good idea. We can't let him go…poking around in certain places, if you know what I mean."

            "Perhaps you'll like to take me," Max pointed at Virgil. "I'm sure you know everything there is to know about the castle."

            "Well, he he…actually, I'm…" Virgil tried to be humble but in the end admitted, "Well, yes, I do."

            Soon Max was taken around the castle and was being introduced by many of the things displayed there. Virgil explained longwindedly about how the fabric of India was made and how the paintings of warriors came to be and how the statues symbolized something and all the whatnot. Max wasn't exactly interested in these things but he admired them politely all the same. His main reason here was to look for the rose for SkullMaster's payment to turn him into a merman so that he could be with Phoebe. He had to act fast if he wanted to keep the offer from going expired. While Virgil continued to blabber about the suit of armour in the hallway, he silently sneaked off and decided to try his luck in the forbidden East Wing. Maybe whatever was forbidden in there could prove to be the one he was looking for. Halfway up the stairs, she was stopped by Rusty and Virgil. His suspicions were aroused further.

            "What's up there anyway?" Max asked.

            "Oh, nothing really," Virgil replied, trying to talk him out of it. "It's all in the East Wing, all the dusty, dirty grime…Very gory, really."

            "Ah, so that's the East Wing," Max grinned.

            "Nice going," Rusty said sarcastically, glaring accusingly at the petrified Virgil.

            "I wonder what she's hiding up there."

            "Hiding?" Rusty laughed nervously. "The Mistress is hiding nothing!"

            "Then it wouldn't be forbidden," Max took another step up but was stopped again by Virgil and Rusty.

            "Well, maybe, Little Master, you would like to see something else," Virgil suggested. "We have great tapestry all the way back to..."

            "Maybe later."

            "How about the gardens?" Rusty asked, desperate. "Or, or, uh, the comic studio, perhaps?"

            "You have a comic studio?" Max asked, interested. Comics never failed to catch his attention.

            "Yes, yes, of course, with comics!" Virgila and Rusty were relieved that they have caught Max's attention. "Gallons of comics, moutains of comics, forests of comics, cascades even! More comics than you can ever read in a lifetime! Comics on every subject and..."

            Max followed them for a while at first, then slowly backed away and went back to the steps of the East Wing, leaving the two rambling animated objects behind. 'The comics can wait,' he thought, 'My future happiness is at stake here.' He went up the steps slowly and was walking down a long, long corridor where it was decorated just as horribly as the ones he had seen when he was led to his room by The Beastess. He even passed by a mirror that was already shattered into pieces, reflecting dozens of his faces on it. He shook his head and mentally noted the 7 years bad luck ahead for The Beastess.

            Finally, his journey came to a dead end. He found himself standing in front of a huge door probably standing about 10 feet tall with a battered lion's face as the door handle. He stood there, not sure whether this was the right thing to do; barging into people's private property sure wasn't his good side, but then again, he dared to enter SkullMaster's lair without even a single fear, why should this be any different. Besides, the thing he was looking for could be right inside there. Taking a deep breath, he held his hands fast onto the door handles and pulled the door open.

            As the door creaked open, he took a peek inside to see if there was anybody there. When he was sure that all was silent, he went in. He was shocked to see that the whole place was totally trashed down to the ground. Everything was in a mess and everything that used to something was torn to smithereens, save a few chairs and tables and the bed, but then again, the bed looked like it had seen better days. He noticed a portrait with its canvas all torn up. He could only make out the eyes and the hair but the rest was just unrecognizable. When he tried to bring the torn canvas together and see clearly, something else caught his attention. It was a shimmering of light somewhere near the verandah and it made a slight tinkling sound as it went. It sounded almost like the wind chimes hung on the comic bookshop he used to go to back home.

            He followed the light and was awed to see a hovering, glowing rose kept in a belljar on a round table near the verandah. It shone bright pink and looked as if it was beating like a heart. He came closer and had a real good look at the rose. He was anxious: could this be the rose SkullMaster was talking about? It sure didn't look very big, fresh and red like SkullMaster said, judging by its wilted look and the fallen petals, and it sure wasn't in the garden where it's supposed to be. Could SkullMaster be mistaken? Could it be that The Beastess has already plucked the rose and kept it in here? Well, whatever the reason, the rose was just hovering there ready for him to take. He wasn't going to take any chances. He took down the belljar and held out his hand to take it...

            Suddenly, a large shadow covered him. He gasped when he saw The Beastess standing before him with her eyes gazing dangerously at his. She saw the belljar off the rose and quickly replaced it back, holding it protectively. She turned and glared at Max, letting out a lion-like growl.

            "Why did you come here?" The Beastess demanded.

            "Hey...Hey, I'm...I'm sorry, OK?" Max replied nervously.

            "I've warned you never to come here!!!"

            "Hey, look, I didn't mean any harm..."

            "Do you realize what you could have done?!" The Beastess exclaimed as she smashed a nearby chair. Max was horrified. He backed away, afraid that the splinters might get to him.

            "Please...stop it..."

            "Get out!!!" The Beastess yelled, thrashing everywhere and beating at everything to make her point. "_GET OUT!!!_"

            Max didn't need to be told twice. He immediately made a dash for it. He was out of the East Wing and was getting ready to get out of the castle. After The Beastess let out her anger, she was horrified to realize what _she_ had done. She covered her face with her big hands in agony and shame, feeling terribly bad at how her hot temper led her to. Rusty and Virgil heard the sounds coming from the East Wing and could've guessed what had happened but when they saw Max running towards the front door, they were horrified.

            "Wh...Where are you going?" Rusty asked.

            "Promise or no promise, deal or no deal," Max said as he opened the door, "I can't stay here another second!"

            "Oh no, wait, please wait," Virgil pleaded for him to stay but Max shutting the door behind him made it clear to him that he wasn't coming back.

            Max ran and ran, stumbling over roots and stones in the woods, not sure where he was going. One thing was for sure, he wasn't going to go back to the horrible castle and stay with that horrible, monstrous Beastess. He was sure that if he stayed one more day in there, he was going to get mauled by her sooner or later. He would find another way to become a merman. He could bargain with SkullMaster or even try another remedy, just anything, to fulfill his desire. If all fails, he would succumb to going down the sea and watch her from afar. That would do just fine. Anything to keep him away from this hellish nightmare.

            Suddenly, he realized he was being chased by the wolves that had attacked his mother before. He tried to outrun them but they were much faster. Soon he was surrounded by them. They looked pretty hungry and were ready to bite him into chunks as they growled at him and bared their fangs at him. He tried to pick up stones and throw at them but they kept coming back and coming closer. He tried using a stick to fight them off but one of them bit it into two. One of them pounced on him and forced him onto the ground, tugging at his T-shirt. The rest of the wolves cornered him, ready for the kill. This was it. He was done for. He was going to die before he was able to share a love life with his Princess Phoebe. He covered his face, bracing himself for the worse.

            Surprisingly, the wolves' hungry fangs didn't get to him. He heard a loud lion-like roar and uncovered his face to see The Beastess actually roaring threateningly at the wolf that tugged at Max's shirt. The Beastess actually came out of the castle to save him! She threw the wolf away and shielded Max with her huge green scaly body. Soon a fight between The Beastess and the wolves broke loose, roaring and snarling each other as the wolves swarmed all over The Beastess, trying to maul her into pieces. They fought teeth to teeth, claw to claw but it was evident that the 10-feet Beastess was much stronger. Finally the wolves gave up and retreated, whining pitifully as they made their escape.

            As soon as he saw that they were all out of harm's way, Max got up and got ready to leave when he saw The Beastess standing weakly a few feet before him. She was slouching and was staggering to stand up straight, her copper-brown eyes looking sadly and apologetically at him, as if telling him that she was sorry about her outburst and begging him not to go. Finally, The Beastess couldn't stand still anymore. She slumped and fell with a thud onto the ground. Max couldn't help feeling sorry for her. 'She must've hurt real bad,' he thought. 'But what do I care? I gotta get outta here! I don't belong here! I have nothing to do with her! I...'

            But The Beastess's eyes came to his mind. So sad...so desperate...so...alone...

            In the end, Max could be seen running towards the castle to bring in the castle's horse-less carriage to take him back to the castle where she belonged.

            Growls could be heard as Max and The Beastess, together with the animated objects, were at the living room near the fireplace. Max dipped a cloth into hot water Normie had prepared and was thinking of using it to disinfect the wound The Beastess had on her arm when he saw her licking it like the animal she was. Max reached over to stop her.

            "There now. Oh, don't do that."

            The Beastess growled, taking her arm away from his touch. The animated objects backed away a little in fear. Max ordered the fidgeting Beastess to hold still as he pressed the hot wet cloth onto the wound. As soon as the cloth got in contact with the wound, The Beastess roared in pain, shaking the whole living room.

            "That hurts!!!"

            "If you hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much!" Max argued.

            "Well, if you hadn't run away, this wouldn't have happened."

            "If you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have run away now, would I?"

            "Well, _you_ shouldn't have been in the East Wing!"

            "Well, you should hold the chili dogs and learn to control your temper, babe!"

            The Beastess didn't know what else to rebut Max, so she pouted and propped her chin, looking dissatisfied. Max took the wounded arm and said, "Now hold still. This might sting like crap."

            The Beastess gritted her teeth and braced herself, able to keep herself from bringing the house down. As Max continued to nurse the wound, he stole a look at The Beastess. Now that she was pretty much helpless and in his mercy, he realized that she didn't look so scary and ferocious after all. She looked just like a typically normal ogress who was trying to live her life the way she wanted, how unconventional it may seem.

            "By the way, thanks...for saving my life."

            The Beastess was surprised. Maxwell Deanhart, a boy who showed a serious disregard for his safety and was too curious and adventurous for his own good, actually thanking her? It has been a while since anyone had ever thanked her before. This was something new.

            "You're welcome."

A/N: Wow! I can see something uplifting happening for Max and The Beastess. Carry on reading if you wanna know what happens next! Reviews plz!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: So, what will happen between our Maxwell Deanhart and or Beastess? Carry on reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            Max woke up the next morning by the sunlight that seeped through the curtains of his room. He stretched himself as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He then remembered about last night's incident—how he tried to steal the glowing rose from The Beastess and how he ran out into the woods in fear and got attacked by hungry wolves. And it was truly surprising for him to be saved by the very person that had been mean to him ever since he got here. He still couldn't get over the fact that he had been saved by the meanest, most dangerous creature known throughout land and sea and that he had done the same thing to her as well.

            Maybe…Maybe The Beastess wasn't so bad as everyone thought her to be. Maybe inside, she's just human…

            Max's thoughts were stopped short by the sound of barking. He looked down and saw that it was the footrest dog wagging his tail and having its front legs on the side of bed. Max grinned and stroked the footrest.

            "Hey there, little buddy. Good morning to you too. You wanna go for a walk?"

            The footrest yipped gleefully in reply.

            "Alright, pup," Max chuckled. "A walk it is."

            After freshening himself up and got into his T-shirt and jeans (and a jacket to match-the morning air was quite cold), Max took the footrest outside in the yard to play. The footrest barked happily, running around trees and going about in a frenzy without even a care in the world until finally jumping into Max's arms. If that footrest dog had a tongue right now, he would've slobbered all over Max.

            Max laughed out loud; he had never felt so relaxed and happy since he got here. He stole a look at the castle and realized that it didn't look so creepy and grotesque after all. In fact, it looked mighty nice and magnificent, well, ignoring the gargoyle statues and stuff, that is.

            The Beastess was standing at the verandah of her East Wing quarters with Rusty and Virgil while she watched Max continue playing with the footrest dog. She stared long and hard at Max's features: golden blonde hair that shone under the sun magnificently and blue eyes as clear as the sea. She never thought she'd see such a sight. For many long years, she had been looking at things the glum, dark way, but to see Max with such radiance, now that was different. She couldn't help thinking that there's something inside her blooming for this little teenager.

            "I've never felt this way about anyone…" The Beastess said quietly, then clenched her fists in determination. "I want to do something for him…but what?"

            "Well, there's the usual things," Virgil suggested. "Flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep…"

            "Ah, no, no," Rusty shoved Virgil playfully. "It must be something really special. Something that sparks his interest…Wait a minute! I got it!"

            Soon, Max could be seen standing in front of a white door with The Beastess. For once, The Beastess was talking in a slightly friendly tone.

            "Max, there's something I want to show you. But first, you have to close your eyes."

            Max raised an eyebrow, suspicious.

            "It's a surprise," The Beastess noted.

            Max finally closed his eyes. After making sure he couldn't see anything, The Beastess opened the door with a leap in her heart she had never felt before and led him in. She took his hands and led him until they stood in the middle of the dark room inside. When they stopped, Max's curiosity got the better of him.

            "Can I open them?"

            "No, no, not yet," The Beastess replied. She led him further into the room, then stopped and said, "Wait here."

            So saying, she ran across the room and pulled all the curtains. Max was getting a little impatient with the suspense as he heard the sound of curtains being pulled. Finally he asked, "Now can I open them?"

            "Alright, now!"

            As Max opened his eyes and tried to adjust to the light, he gasped when he saw that he was standing in a glass room with walls made out of pure glass that could see through the whole place. He could see that the room was facing the sea and the scenery was just immaculate. But the most interesting thing of all was that it was packed with shelves upon shelves of books that stood tall and reached up to the ceiling. When he took one book out to read, he saw that they were actually comic books! This was the comic studio Rusty has been talking about! She actually had every single issue for every cool comic he had seen back in the comic house at Fishermen's Friend Village, including his favourite comic 'The XYZ Men'. He bet even the comic house wouldn't be able to beat this.

            "I can't believe it! I've never seen so many comics in all my life! Where did you get all this duff!"

            "I had free time, and these comics are the entertainment I've got nowadays," The Beastess replied sheepishly.

            "I didn't know you read comics!"

            "Well, not all the words. I'm quite illiterate. But the pictures make me understand the whole story."

            "You must've run across the world and spent loads of cash to get all these stuff, man! You're magnificent!"

            "You…You like it?"

            "Like it?! Man, this is awesome!!"

            "Then it's yours," The Beastess announced. Max gaped in disbelief. The Beastess nodded, assuring him that she meant what she said. Max jumped onto her and gave her a bear hug.

            "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

            The Beastess blushed. She had never had this much close contact with anyone, least to say a guy, and now Max was actually hugging her willingly. She smiled and let him hug her for as long as he wanted.

            In the background, hiding behind the door, the animated objects grinned as they watched, hope sparkling in their eyes.

            Since then, Max and The Beastess were in good terms. Sure, there may be occasional fights and stuff, but they got back again pretty quick. Max taught The Beastess lots of things, from reading to table manners to just try and have fun. There was once when they were having breakfast of oatmeal and rye and Max was horrified to see The Beastess gobbling the whole lot, like the beast she was. She tried using the spoon, but she had been so accustomed to eating savagely and that her hands were too big for the spoon that she dribbled all over the place. Finally Max gestured her to drink it from the bowl instead, and it worked out pretty well.

            As the days went by, The Beastess's anger management was handled pretty well. She seldom lost her temper at everyone now and she had become very tolerant. When Max requested her to put aside eating those noisy cashew nuts while he was reading, she patiently obliged, even though those cashew nuts were her favourite. It was a great improvement.

            Probably the best and most fun challenge would be how to handle small animals. There came a day when Max asked The Beastess out in the yard to get some fresh air and feed the birds. He started by putting some birdseed onto The Beastess's hands and let her have a try. But the way she shoved her arms towards the birds to give them the birdseed scared the birds and moved them further from her. Max shook his head and showed her how it's done—he had seen his mother do it: he lay The Beastess's hand-filled seeds on the ground and scattered some of the birdseed on the ground near her hands. The birds pecked on the seeds on the ground first before miraculously jumping onto The Beastess's hands to peck some more.

            Seeing The Beastess looking so happy brought a smile to his face. He never thought he had seen her so happy. It was as if he had become his best friend in the whole world. Well, come to think of it, he probably was his only friend that ever made her happy. He felt a sense of accomplishment and a deep feeling of friendship for this creature.

            As he continued to contemplate about her changes, he almost laughed out loud when all the birds came flying and perching on The Beastess wanting their share of birdseed. The Beastess shooed them away and looked up, only to receive a face full of mud. Needless to say, it was Max's doing. It was raining the night before and Max had fashioned mudballs from the wet soil on the ground. Soon it was a battle of mudballs as Max and The Beastess tried to out-dirt each other with the dirty muck of mud. They really had a lot of fun throwing mudballs at each other and making each other look like they were swamp monsters or something, much to the delight of the animated objects who were watching their every move. They could tell that there were some certain feelings their Mistress were having for Max, and they sure were intimate ones.

            Later that evening, after their mud war, they were ready to clean themselves off the gunk when The Beastess, looking all muddy and soiled, asked Max if he would like to have dinner with her. This time Max agreed willingly, much to The Beastess and the animated objects' delight. The Beastess almost ran inside towards the East Wing excitedly, anxious to look good for tonight. She went to the huge bathroom she hadn't used since, like, ever and requested the warm bathing water for her bath. Rusty was in the bathroom with her, giving her moral support.

            "Tonight is the night!" Rusty exclaimed as water was poured on The Beastess to wash off the soap. It sure wasn't easy to wash dirt off a huge 10-feet tall ogress that hasn't actually been bathing for, well, ages.

            "I'm not sure I can do this," The Beastess replied, her stomach having butterflies.

            "You don't have time to be timid!" Rusty scolded. "You must be bold! Daring!"

            "Bold. Daring," The Beastess repeated her words, shaking herself off the water like the animal she was. Rusty grimaced as she, too, tried to flick off the water got on herself. The Beastess walked towards the mirror to be wiped dry.

            "There would be music," Rusty continued. "Romantic candlelight provided by myself. And when the moment is right, you confess your love."

            "Yes," The Beastess muttered, then turned to the mirror, saying, "I con…I…I…no, I can't."

            "You care about the boy now, don't you?" Rusty asked as The Beastess, for the first time, received a proper haircut from a coat hanger.

            "More than anything."

            "Well then, you must tell him!" Rusty said.

            "But…aren't boys supposed to make the first move or something?"

            "Move-shmoves! This is the new age! Men don't exactly make the first move nowadays. People don't date anymore like the old-timers did."

            "Well, if you say so…" The Beastess was still skeptical.

            "I know so, Mistress!" Rusty replied confidently. After the cutting was done, it didn't exactly turn out the way they expected it to be (**A/N: Her haircut looked exactly like the girly, crazy-looking stupid haircut The Beast got in Beauty and the Beast XD**). Rusty hesitantly commented, "Voila! Oh, you look so…so…"

            "Stupid," The Beastess couldn't agree more to this haircut.

            "Not quite the word I was looking for, but perhaps a little more at the top," Rusty clapped her hands and the coat hanger continued cutting. By the time she was done cutting, Virgil has already come in, clearing his throat deliberately loud.

            "Your man awaits."

            After The Beastess was all dressed up in her finest ballroom gown of pale pinkish-blue, she came out of her room and saw standing at the staircase opposite hers was Max, dressed in a dark gray one-set suit. His handsome blonde hair and blue eyes shone under the chandelier above them and both of them looked magnificent. The Beastess adjusted her curls and went down the stairs as Rusty ushered her to. Soon both of them stood face to face. For the first time, The Beastess was smiling at him sweetly and lovely.

            "You look wonderful tonight, Beastess," Max commented, looking impressed. He bowed as gentlemen always do to ladies. The Beastess curtsied as well.

            "So do you, Max."

            "Shall we?" Max asked as he offered his arm for her to hold.

            "Of course, Your Grace," The Beastess said jokingly and took his arm.

            They went down the steps, occasionally bugged by the barking footrest, towards the dining room. During dinner, The Beastess finally got the hang of using the cutlery without dribbling or spilling anything. Soon, another coat hanger came in playing the violin. It was playing a ballroom dance version of the song 'My Heart Will Go On' and Max got off his seat to ask The Beastess for a dance. He led her down to the ballroom and showed her how to put her hands on the right place before dancing to the beat. He had been to enough courting ceremonies to know how ballroom dances are supposed to be like. Surprisingly, The Beastess never stepped on Max's feet at all when she danced. It was as if she was reliving something she had long forgotten in the past. They danced and danced and were enjoying every moment of it. When Max brought her closer to him, this was it. The Beastess was sure of it. Their feelings were mutual. Rusty was shaking her hands with glee and Virgil was giving her a thumbs-up.

            Soon, the dance ended. Rusty dimmed the lights and the door to the verandah opened by itself, gesturing them to come and sit under the starlit sky. Max and The Beastess moved towards the verandah and let her take the seat first before him. They sat side by side with an awkward silence between them before The Beastess inched closer towards Max and took his hands.

            "Max…uh…are you…happy here with me?"

            "Oh yeah, definitely," Max replied. His eyes wandered out the yard until finally, they set upon a large greenhouse. It was really large and long, not to mention wide, and inside it was a vast garden. It was like a house built exclusively for the garden and it seemed like it could be acres and acres vast. It was separated and secluded from the rest the yard and was only visible if you're in higher ground. It was a surprise that he hadn't noticed this in the first place. The Beastess saw the look on his face and was curious.

            "What is it?"

            "That greenhouse over there. I didn't know that it existed."

            "Except the gardeners that tend the garden," The Beastess replied as she, too, gazed at the greenhouse. "We grow the finest plants in there, even my favourite roses."

            "Many people say that there's a particular rose that bloomed the freshest, the reddest and the biggest. Is it true?"

            "Yes. There is one. It's our prized rose. It just so happened to grow there just like that and it pretty much is the oldest rose among its kind. It's about 200 years old, if I'm not mistaken, and it's still standing."

            "Re…Really…?" Max replied in awe. His heart pounded with excitement. 'So that's where it had been all this while!' he thought.

            "Is there something bothering you, Max?" The Beastess asked.

            "Uh, no, no, really," Max replied quickly, trying to make up an excuse. "It's just that…well, I do wish to see my mother again. Just for a moment. I kinda miss her. I've been away for quite a long while now and she must be frantic."

            The Beastess looked away, hesitant. It's true that Max has been here in the castle for quite a long while, isolated from everyone else in the world, and it's not uncommon to feel a little homesick. But she didn't want him to leave. She wanted him to stay forever and love her like she loved him. She didn't want to let him go, and yet she didn't want to see him hurt.

            Suddenly, an idea clicked. She turned to Max and said, "There is a way."

            She took him to her private quarters in the East Wing. Ever since they've got along fine, Max was allowed to venture into the East Wing, just as long as he didn't question anything about the room, the portrait, the rose or anything else that was there. Inside, The Beastess picked up the ivory mirror and passed it to Max.

            "This mirror will show you anything. Anything you wish to see."

            Max stared at the mirror and at the reflection on it. He was skeptical at first but since the whole castle was enchanted anyway, it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. He spoke to the mirror timidly, "I'd like to see my mother, please."

            The reflection in the mirror soon changed. In its place was his mother, lying on the bed sleeping. But it wasn't the sleep normal people do at night. This kind of sleep was not right. He noticed his mother looking very pale and had a face of malnutrition. There was a tube stuck to her elbow with fluid dripping in. Beside her was Norman nursing her and beside him was the village doctor.

            "When will she exactly be out of her coma?" Norman asked.

            "I'm afraid I cannot tell," the doctor shook his head. "If she continues to stay unconscious like this, I'm afraid we'll have to do euthanasia on her."

           "No!" Norman stood up abruptly. "There is no way you are going to kill her just like that! She will wake up! She will! She has to…"

            Max's heart ached. He could tell that her worry and her trauma must be so great to fall into a coma like that. The Beastess looked at him, wanting to know what he had seen.

            "My mom…She's sick. She's fallen into a coma and is into it bad. She might die and she's all alone…"

           The Beastess was afraid of this. She knew that if she let him see his mother, he would surely request her to let him go. She looked out of the verandah, not wanting to meet his face. She had to confess to him. She had to tell him now.

            "Max…I'm sorry. I can't let you go."

            "Wh…What? Why not?" Max asked.

            "Because…Because I say so," The Beastess replied hastily. "And also because I…I…have deep feelings for you…"

            Max sighed sadly. He knew this would come. He had guessed it all along. He went over and lay his hand on her shoulder and whispered, "I'm sorry, Beastess. I cannot give you what you want. You are, to me, just a dear friend. A best friend. Nothing more, nothing less."

            "Wha…?" The Beastess turned around, looking at him in disbelief.

            "I'm really, really sorry. Whatever reason you thought I was here for, it's not. I had no idea that my mother was captured here in the first place. My intention to come here is to get the rose from your garden—the one you said is about 200 years old. I need it for my debt, because in truth…I have someone else in my heart…"

            "No…No! It can't be! It can't be! I thought you liked me! I thought…!"

            "Yes, I do like you, but not the way you think I am. I'm sorry. Really I am. I didn't mean to hurt you, but this is my true intention of being here. I'm so sorry. We can still be friends…right?"

            "NO!!!" The Beastess roared as she grabbed Max by the waist. She stomped out of the East Wing and brought him all the way up to the tower. Once there, she threw him inside and locked the door. Max ran towards it and pounded furiously.

            "Beastess, please! Please let me out! Don't do this to me! I thought we were friends! I'm sorry I can't be what you want me to be, but please don't hold it against me, please!"

            "If I can't have you, no one can! You're staying here from now on, and this time you are my prisoner _forever_!"

            Max wasn't sure how long time had passed. He first counted by the rising and setting of the sun, but soon he lost count. He got his meals through the opening below the door and that was it. There were no conversations between him and whoever was bringing him his meals. He didn't know how he was going to get it through The Beastess that he didn't mean to hurt her feelings. He understood how it feels like to be rejected, but he and The Beastess were just not meant to be. They were two different worlds living in completely different lifestyles. There is no way he and The Beastess can be together.

            Besides, his heart was only for Princess Phoebe, and he was only willing to transform himself for her, not for The Beastess.

            Finally, after what seemed like forever, the door opened. There stood The Beastess, tall and strong like the ogress she was. In her left hand held the ivory mirror and in her right hand held the rose that he had been yearning for since the day he arrived to this castle. Both of them stared at each other in silence, no one saying a word to break the ice. Slowly, The Beastess came up to Max and knelt down before him.

            "I've been doing a lot of thinking and I realize that keeping you here is not going make you change your mind about your feelings for me," The Beastess said quietly. She took a deep breath and continued, "You must go to your mother and sought after the love you have been yearning for."

            Max stared at The Beastess's eyes in disbelief, "What did you say?"

            "I release you," The Beastess replied sadly. "You're no longer my prisoner."

            "You mean…I'm free?"

            "Yes."

            "Thank you. Thank you so much, Beastess. You know how much this means to me. I'm sorry things didn't turn out the way you wanted. I…"

            "I understand," The Beastess said. She passed the things she was holding to Max and said, "Here's the rose you wanted. May it be in good use to you and worth your effort to come here. 200 years. I hope its death wouldn't go to waste. And take this mirror with you, so you'll always have a way to look back…and remember me."

            "Thank you for understanding how important this is for me," Max said as he got onto his feet.

            "And I thank you for giving me such wonderful memories for me to live by. As a return for your favour, I pledge myself to be your loyal guardian, and a faithful friend."

            Max smiled. He leaned over and kissed The Beastess on the forehead and was soon heading out of the tower, down the steps and towards his freedom. The Beastess remained kneeling there. Virgil, who had listened to everything, crept in.

            "You understand, Mistress, that this would be a permanent decision."

            The Beastess nodded.

            "Why, Mistress? How could you let him go just like that?" Virgil was in a state of disappointment. "You know that he could be the key. How could you do that?"

            "I had to."

            "Yes, yes, but…why?"

            "Because…I love him."

            The animated objects were quite shocked and disappointed to hear from Virgil that The Beastess had let Max go. They were glad to hear that their Mistress had finally learned to love, but were sad that it was not enough. Max had to love her in return to break the bestial curse she was placed upon by the very mysterious person who told her to guard the castle for the rightful owner of it to return.

            As Max made a dash towards the island shore to where the oar-less boat was waiting, his heart ached as he heard the agonized, heartbroken roar of The Beastess.

A/N: Man, this is seriously heartbreaking. What would happen next? Stay tuned to find out!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: So, what other adventures lie in store for our Mighty Max and which Disney fairy tale classic will it be? Carry on reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            It was quite a frenzy when one of the fishermen of Fishermen's Friend Village found Max lying on the clear sand near the jetty. The oar-less boat was nowhere to be seen. It was only Max and his tightly clutched rose. Everyone was frantic as they carried Max to the clinic and rang for Norman to go and see him. Luckily, unlike his mother, Max only suffered a minor dehydration and would be up and about in a few days time. Norman was allowed to take him home to rest.

            Max soon woke up after being replenished of his lost fluids. The first thing he asked was about his mother, Virginia. Norman led him to her and he soon found himself standing in front of her bed. He knelt beside her bed and stroked her hair, but she didn't wake up. She remained sleeping there without even moving an inch.

            "She's been like that ever since we found her on the shore looking almost like you, only worse. We've tried everything but she still never woke up. We almost had given up hope."

            Max continued to stroke her hair. He almost felt sorry for all the bad stuff he had ever did to her and all those things she told him not to do but he did it anyway—like going out to the sea, for example. And now, he felt guilty for what he was going to do next, but he had to do this. It's about time he decided his own love life. He leaned over and whispered, "Hey, Mom. It's me, Max. I'm home now. If you're wondering how I escaped, I didn't. The Beastess let me go. She's very different now, really. She's changed somehow, and she let me go free. If you wake up, forgive me if you don't see me. I have a destiny and a love life to live. I'm sorry."

            Norman wanted to ask what had caused her trauma and where he had been all these while, but Max didn't have the mood to answer him that. Besides, he didn't want Norman to freak out on him when he knew that he had been venturing into the depths of The Beastess's lair. He still felt a little guilt for hurting The Beastess's feeling. He also refused to tell him about the rose he held so protectively all the while when he was unconscious. Norman was suspicious but he let him be—he'll answer in due time. Later that night, Max was awakened by the familiar hissing sounds of the black-smoky girls out of his yard. He had been expecting them to come. SkullMaster knew that he had a crush on Phoebe; he should know when he has returned with the rose. He got out of bed, grabbed the rose he put on the table and followed the sound of the smoky girls. He so happened to pass by Norman's room and the tall, muscular butler was still awake, so Norman ended up following behind him. He saw the smoky girls a few feet ahead and called out to Max.

            "Max, where are you going? Max, where are you going with those weird creatures in the middle of the night?"

            "I'm going to see SkullMaster," Max replied, not looking back and not stopping his running. Norman caught up with him.

            "Who's SkullMaster? I've never heard of such name. Is it something to do with this rose and your disappearance?"

            "Sort of."

            "Max, tell me the truth and tell me now. Where have you been all this time? Why did you disappear all of a sudden and why didn't you come back home?"

            Finally, Max decided to tell Norman the whole story. Since he was following him to SkullMaster's lair, he's pretty much involved already. Max told him exactly what had happened: his deal with SkullMaster, his journey to The Beastess's island, him trading places with Virginia, his stay with The Beastess, everything. By the time he finished, Norman was more awed than freaked out.

            "You seriously did all that just to become a merman for Phoebe? You even gave The Beastess, the legendary most dangerous, most lethal creature throughout land and sea, the hicks for you! Man, you really are into that mermaid princess, aren't you? The things that occur because of love. You'll never cease to surprise me."

            "Like you would do anything for Mom, I would do anything for Princess Phoebe."

            Norman blushed, shocked that his secret has been found. He muttered, "This SkullMaster guy sounds sinister. I don't think you should be doing business with him. He scares me."

            "Normie, he's my only ticket to my true love. Evil or not, I have to do this."

            After what seemed like an endless run, they've soon reached SkullMaster's lair. Norman stared in horror and pointed at it, wanting to say that this house was the legendary haunted house, but Max has already went in without a word. Norman rolled his eyes and followed suite. He was as adventurous and as fearless as his father Blake, that's for sure. Once inside, SkullMaster greeted him with his usual evil gleam in his yellow eyes.

            "Welcome back from your journey, young Maxwell. You must've gone through a lot of trouble to get what we need. And I see you've brought a friend with you. Please, take a seat, my friend. You look like you could use some."

            So saying, an armchair suddenly appeared out of nowhere and forced Norman to sit. Straps came out of the hand rests and the feet of the armchair and wrapped itself around Norman's wrists and ankles, holding him in place. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't move. Max turned to SkullMaster questioningly.

            "I thought I've made it very clear to you that you are not supposed to reveal me," SkullMaster said in disapproval as he stirred his staff in the huge cauldron. "I seriously like my privacy and my low profile."

            "He followed me," Max replied. "I had no choice."

            "I so happen to hear that your mother has been quite ill. In a coma, I suppose."

            "It would make Norman here very happy if you can wake her up."

            "That, my child, is a different deal." SkullMaster noted. "Your friend has to make this deal separately, and he has to pay the debt. You're here for your part of the deal, are you not?"

            "Yeah, now that you've mentioned it," Max held out the rose to him. "Here's your darn rose. Now when can we start?"

            "Soon, my child, very soon. But there is no need to rush. Let me tell you what the real deal is: I will turn you into a merman for a time span of 3 nights. Got that? 3 nights. Now this is important. Before the moon rises on the 3rd night, you must get a kiss from your little sweet mermaid princess you love so much," SkullMaster stirred his staff and the mists that formed out of the steaming cauldron showed a scene where Max and Phoebe kissed. Max blushed. SkullMaster smirked and continued as he showed him more animated scenes with the mists, "Just a kiss, but, mind you, not just any kiss. It has to be a kiss of true love. If she does kiss you before the moon rises on the 3rd night, you will become a merman permanently. But if she doesn't, you'll turn back into a human and…you belong to me."

            "No, Max, no! Don't do this!" Norman exclaimed, only to be silenced by SkullMaster's wave of the staff. His mouth moved but no sound came out. Max began to have second thoughts about everything.

            "Have we got a deal?" SkullMaster turned to Max.

            "If I become a merman…" Max contemplated. "I will never be with my mother and Normie and my friends again."

            "That's right. But you have your woman. Life's full of tough choices indeed. Shall we start now?"

            Max stole a look at Norman and could see him shaking his head. He thought long and hard. If he becomes a merman, he'll have to give up everything he was used to on land, because he would be, like other merpeople, prone to sensitive skin on open air. He would dehydrate if he doesn't remain in water for a certain time. That will mean that contact between he and the land would be limited. But then he will have Princess Phoebe by his side. And he was sure that she wouldn't mind him unable to talk. Like SkullMaster said, there is always body language. There's no harm in trying.

            "Alright, I'll do it," Max replied, much to Norman's dismay.

            "It's done then," SkullMaster's lips creased to an evil smile as he waved his staff around the cauldron. With his magical powers, he materialized a scroll that read all the terms and conditions and the oath for Max to read. He then materialized a fishbone and gestured Max to sign the contract. Max knew that once he signed it, it would be a binding deal. He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and snatched the fishbone that was hovering in the midair and, with his eyes closed, he signed his name on the dotted line. As soon as he was done signing, the scroll flew back into SkullMaster's hand as dematerialized when SkullMaster grasped it. His hand glowed, signifying that the contract was done. He then mumbled loads of weird spells while throwing in elixirs and potions that exploded and shone almost as bright as the sun as soon as it fell into the cauldron. He took the rose from Max's hand and plucked the petals one by one, dropping them into the cauldron. As the mixture in the cauldron glowed blood red, SkullMaster began to chant his devious spells.

            "Boggers and rouges, winds and cast imps seal!!" the mists in the cauldron came out and made rings around Max, sealing him in his place. "Black ogres and wings of a titan, now serve only to me!!!"

            Max gasped when he saw reddish-black smoke from the cauldron appeared in the shape of a pair of huge grotesque arms as SkullMaster chanted his spells and raised his arms. With a wicked gleam in his yellow eyes, SkullMaster bore deep into Max's blue ones and commanded, "Now _sing_!"

            Automatically, Max opened his mouth and sang. He couldn't stop. He couldn't control it. It was as if his voice had a mind of its own. SkullMaster commanded him to keep singing as the reddish-black arms inched closer towards him. He could feel something warm down his throat, beating in the same line as his heartbeat but he dare not stop singing. The arms came closer and closer towards him and they looked threateningly scary. Max wanted to back away but there was no place for him to go. Slowly the arms slipped in Max's mouth and slithered down his throat, almost choking Max. He could feel the arms grabbing some sort of a lump down his throat—like they were taking his Adam's apple or something and slithered out of his throat as fast as they went in. Max widened his eyes and swallowed nervously when he saw in the reddish-black hands was his voice, glowing a bright blue and beating like his heart, and it was continuing to sing. Max held his throat; he couldn't believe he was staring at his own voice. Was that it? Has his voice been taken away? This adventure was getting weirder and scarier than he could possibly imagine.

            Before he could test try whether he could talk or not, he was surrounded by a huge water droplet and was submerged in the water. He was lifted off his feet and he could hear a muffled laugh from SkullMaster. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on his legs. His jeans and underwear tore, exposing his naked lower half of his body. He felt an electrical current running through his legs and was searing through his bones. It hurt him so bad and he wanted to scream but no sound came out. His lungs suddenly burned like fire and his heart was beating even faster, like some sort of heartattack. Somehow, he felt like he could breathe in the water droplet he was trapped in. He could feel the skin of his legs tearing and coming closer together. Before he knew, he felt his legs conjoined together as one and his feet had stretched itself into fins on a tail. The water droplet burst and Max fell onto the floor, his skin beginning to burn under the ray of the moonlight. By then, SkullMaster has released Norman from his seat and returned his voice.

            "Max!" Norman yelled as he went up to Max who was shivering from shock. "Are you alright?!"

            "Better hurry up and get him into the sea before he dries up like a prune, Norman!" SkullMaster laughed out loud. "And in return for your deal to wake your friend's mother up, you'll have to pay something as well!"

            Norman wanted to ask what he meant by that, but he had to save Max's life first. He picked Max up and made a dash towards the jetty. As he ran, he could feel his body shrinking and that he began to grow gills and fish scales. His feet begin to falter as they slowly shrank and conjoined themselves to one, just like Max's. He was getting out of breath and could feel the suffocation coming, as if the air that he breathed wasn't suitable for him anymore. When he saw the jetty just a few meters away from him, he gathered whatever strength he had left and jumped into the sea, holding Max protectively in his arms. Max was slowly faltering into unconsciousness when all this happened.

            He could still hear SkullMaster's malicious laugh as his body fell deeper and deeper into the deep sea…

A/N: Ouch! Now that's one serious transformation if I say so myself! What happens next? Stay tuned! Reviews plz!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: If you're worried about what will happen to Max, don't fret anymore! Black Gargie is here to save the day!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            The sea was bubbling with life. There were sea creatures everywhere swimming around in the sea like it was nobody's business. There were all kinds of sea life in there including dolphins, sting rays, sea urchins, sea horses and much, much more. If those sea creatures were able to talk like humans do, you could hear a great big commotion of sounds, like a market or something.

            That was when Max was awakened by the sound of faraway chattering and chit-chatting. He opened his eyes groggily and the first thing he saw was a pair of angelfishes whispering to each other and pointing at him. He was surprised to find out that he actually was able to understand what the fishes were saying and furthermore, he saw that he was surrounded by water and actually breathing in it! It was marvelous! Could it be...?

            He sat up tentatively and took a look at his legs, only to see that they weren't legs anymore, but a long tail that shimmered slightly as he moved. He gaped in awe at the colour of his tail: a bright mixture of blonde and blue, like a mixture of his hair and eye colour. He waved the fins about and was excited to see it moving to his will. He had to try this out.

            "Woah, look at who has dropped in this place! It's my dear ol' friend Maxwell Deanhart!"

            Max turned to see his childhood sea friend Robert the seahorse gliding down from above his head towards him. The seahorse was actually a real life talking seahorse, as in able to talk in human tongue. He was one of those victims of sea pollution when he scorched his throat after accidentally eating polluted plankton (thanks to chemical waste dumped into the sea) and after going through a near death experience, he suddenly found himself able to understand and speak human language. He, Max and Norman were close friends as he provided information about the merpeople life he claimed he knew. He had introduced loads of things and told Max the names of those items he had discovered during his underwater trips and Robert would explain elaborately what does this and that do.

            "Look at you, Max! Look at you! You have changed!" Robert said as he landed on Max's shimmering tail. "Now let's see, what's different about you, hmm? Wait, wait, don't tell me! It's a...new...haircut! No, not a new haircut...A new swimming gear! A new breathing thing-a-majigure? A new set of clothes? A new..."

            "He's having a new tail, you dimwit!"

            Max and Robert turned around to see Norman scowling at them. Only that Norman was not the huge, tough guy, barbaric-looking Norman, but the Norman with fins and scales and a tail and gills and all that. It seemed like SkullMaster had turned him into a fish as a payment to cure Virginia from her coma predicament, and a huge fat catfish at that! Max stared at him in awe while Robert rolled over the floor and laughed like a maniac.

            "Oh my sea urchins! What exactly happened to you, Norman?!" Robert laughed non-stop. "You look...You look..."

            "Stupid, I know," Norman muttered grudgingly. "I dunno why I've turned like this, but I sure don't like it."

            "Well, what's this business about Max having a new tail, huh? Isn't he supposed to be human or something?"

            Norman sighed and explained the whole story to Robert. While he explained, Max decided to try out the tail. He got up and tried to balance himself while flipping his fins to keep him like a standing position in the sea. So far, he was so used to swimming the human way that he couldn't keep his balance. He soon fell headlong onto sandy sea floor, sending the sand flying all over, covering Robert and Norman.

            "Just look at him!" Norman exclaimed in horror, rambling on and on about how disastrous it was. It was obvious that he had finally lost his cool. "His tail...Scum merman tail! This is not good! Really not good! This is a catastrophe! What will his mother say? I tell you what his mother will say. She'll say she's gonna kill him, that's what his mother will say! I'm going straight right back up and go tell his mother..."

            Max was horrified. While Norman was rambling, Max finally got the hang of swimming up straight and was dusting the sea sand off his body when he heard Norman threatening to go up and tell Virginia on him. He grabbed Norman's tail and pulled him close, shaking his head in fear, not wanting him to tell.

            "And don't you shake your head at me, young man! You're just like your father, getting into trouble all the time! And I always had to back him up, just like what I'm doing right now for you! No more, Max, no more! We'll go back to that SkullMaster of yours and cancel the deal! Maybe he would renegotiate. Maybe you'll get back your voice. And then we'll all go home and you'll just be...just be..."

            Max frowned sadly, begging him with his eyes not to make him change his mind about things. He looked so sad, as if like if this whole thing doesn't go happily, he was going to regret it. Norman sighed.

            "Just be miserable for the rest of your life, I guess. Alright, alright, I'll help you to go and find your princess. Can't go up in open air anyway since I'm a fish."

            Max hugged him gratefully and let him go. Somehow, the fish instinct set in and Norman was actually swimming naturally like all the other fish. Robert finally broke the sad ice and grabbed on to some seaweeds around the area.

            "Well, it sure ain't decent for a merman to not have something on his body. One thing we gotta figure out is what to decorate you up with. Now let me see..."

            Meanwhile, Princess Phoebe was riding on her pet dolphin around the sea. She greeted a few other merpeople passing by and played with a few fishes along the way, but nothing could keep her mind off her saviour that fateful night. She couldn't help thinking that there's something charming about the person who saved her and the voice that sang to her. It sounded so nice, so melodic, so suave and gentle...He has to be a very charming man to be able to rescue her and sing so beautifully. She hummed the song he sang for her to herself by memory.

            As she hummed, the dolphin suddenly chirped and increased its speed. It had spotted something in the distance and was quite excited to go and find out about it. Phoebe was taken by surprise as she was dragged along for the ride. She clung onto the dolphin for dear life, hoping that she wouldn't fall off, all the while trying to slow it down. While the dolphin came in closer, Max was already quite decorated up with a necklace fashioned out of corals and seashells and a crown made out of seaweeds and pearls. He had to admit, he looked pretty good in it.

            "Sensational!" Robert grinned as he marveled his piece of work. He was interrupted with the loud chirp of Phoebe's dolphin. Norman and Robert ran for cover and Max wanted to swim some place higher. He was quite shocked to see the dolphin coming up to him in such friendly manner and was butting its beak-like mouth at him.

            "Reynard, stop it!" Max's heart skipped a beat when he heard Phoebe's voice. He saw her riding on the dolphin and was apologizing to him for Reynard's behaviour. He was stunned. There she was, his dream princess, lovely as ever with her chocolate-brown hair and jade-green eyes. The wonderful princess was actually up close and personal and actually talking to him! What a bliss this was! He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the Phoebe that he had been watching from afar actually standing just right in front of him! All he could do was smile.

            "I'm sorry about Reynard. He's always..." Phoebe continued to apologize when she stopped to look at Max's face. That blonde hair, those blue eyes...it's like she seen that face somewhere before. She muttered, "You seem very familiar to me...Have we met?"

            Max nodded excitedly. Of course they have met! How could they not be? It was during the night he saved her.

            "Yes, you're the one who rescued me! You're the one! The one that I've been looking for!" Phoebe said excitedly, finally meeting her saviour. "What's your name?"

            Max wanted to tell her but no voice came out. He could only mouth out his name. He then realized that he had traded his voice to SkullMaster for this new body. He held his throat, disappointed.

            "What's wrong? What is it?"

            Max patted his throat.

            "You can't speak?"

            Max shook his head.

            "Oh...then you couldn't be who I thought."

            Max huffed. He was utterly disappointed. Of all payments, SkullMaster had to ask for his voice. 'Why couldn't he ask for an arm or a limb or maybe his eyes or something?' he thought, frustrated. 'I'd rather give him those than unable to actually talk to Phoebe and tell her how he feels. As if body language was enough...'

            Then the thought struck him. Why not? He could use body language! He had played charades before when he was a kid. That shouldn't be too hard. He waved at Phoebe to get her attention, then made loads of gestures to tell her that he really was the one who saved her that night and that he really had sang to her. Phoebe was trying to guess what he was trying to tell her.

            "What is it? You're sick? No, you need help? Woah, careful!"

            It seemed that out of excitement and desperation for Phoebe to understand him, he had lost his balance from the rock his was sitting on and fell into the arms of his dream princess. Their eyes met—jade-green with blue—and were locked onto each other, staring as if the whole world was theirs and that time had stopped just for them. They both couldn't believe that they're looking at each other this close—Phoebe staring at her could-be saviour and Max at his princess he had longed to be with for so long. After what seemed like forever, Phoebe finally broke the ice.

            "This could seem like a mysterious adventure for us. Come on. I'll take you to my castle. Careful now."

            As they mounted onto Reynard and headed towards the direction of Phoebe's castle, Norman sneaked up behind and came in between Phoebe and Max, making Phoebe chuckle. She asked if he were his pet and he nodded absentmindedly. Max turned around to look for Robert and saw him giving him a thumbs-up behind where he was hiding.

            Things sure looked pretty bright from then on.

            Inside the castle, he was led into the cleaning room where he was cleaned off all the sea sand he fell on and was redecorated with other ornaments less organic like the seaweed by two of Phoebe's brothers Pjer and Pac. While he was being prepared, Phoebe and the rest of her brothers were in the dining room discussing seriously about matters.

            "Are you really sure that he is the one who saved you?" Pablio asked. "I mean, you did say that your saviour sang to you before he disappeared mysteriously. But this guy can't even talk."

            "Yeah," Peter agreed. "For all I know, you could've mistaken this young man for someone else."

            "I'm telling you, brothers," Phoebe said indignantly. "He's the one. The one that I've been looking for. And I'm gonna marry him."

            "What? You can't be serious, can you?! Have you forgotten about Prince Drakeb?" Pince asked in horror.

            "I thought you guys are a couple," Pad said. "You can't be saying that you've fallen for a guy you barely know and just so happened to save your life!"

            "Yeah, Father even arranged to let you and Prince Drakeb be betrothed and all! You can't just let it go!" Pablio tried to talk his sister out of this.

            "Well, for your information, I decide my own love life, not Father," Phoebe replied. "Besides, I didn't see Drakeb saving me from being fried from the open air I fell onto. I saw him."

            "Come on now, pal," Pjer's playful voice could be heard from the far end of the dining room as he and Pac tried to coax a quite nervous Max inside. "They're not gonna bite you."

            "Yeah, come on. Don't be shy," Pac ushered him inside. Phoebe widened her eyes in wonder as she saw Max with his hair handsomely decorated by tiny butterfly-shaped seashells and wearing a necklace made out of shiny pearls and corals, his tail shimmering gallantly as he swam in with a nervous smile. Even her brothers couldn't help marveling at the way Max looked in his attire.

            "Wow, I have to say, sis," Pablio said as he went over to get a closer look at Max. "He sure is quite a wonderful creature. I mean, we don't see people with that kind hair and eye colour. Only humans have that."

            Max shuddered a little, afraid of his true identity be found. Norman, who was following from behind, winced as well. SkullMaster sure knew how to make deals; he got exactly what he wished for. No more, no less. And that means only his legs and internal organs changed to suit merman life, yet everything else stayed the same. It was true about what Pablio said—he could tell that all merpeople had strange hair and eye colour. None of them looked normal, and yet none of them looked bad either. He sure was the odd one out.

            "Please, please. Don't let's stand here. Take a seat," Phoebe said hurriedly after snapping out of her trance. Everyone took a seat, and as expected, Phoebe and Max sat side by side.  As they chit-chatted, Max surveyed the place. He marveled at the tapestry of the wall and the jewels of the sea that decorated the whole place. He took a look at the table and realized that it was actually made from a naturally-formed rock that was carved into a shape of a table. The chairs were also fashioned out of rocks carved and decorated with corals and whatnot. Then his eyes spotted on the Fringlers. It was actually a fork fashioned out from a coral but Robert had introduced it wrongly as a merman's comb (and made up that stupid 'Fringlers' name for the fork), so it wasn't surprising that everyone stared weirdly at Max when he picked up the fork and started combing his hair.

            Robert sure needed to get his facts straight.

            Max put down the fork awkwardly, embarrassed. He then shifted his gaze towards Pad who was sucking something out of a seashell. Max lit up. He remembered Robert telling him that this seashell was a Gurom, a type of flute-like musical instrument of the merpeople. Pad noticed Max was staring at it in interest and handed it over to him. Max took it eagerly and put it in his mouth. 'This has to be right,' he thought. 'For once let Robert be right.'

            "You like it, don't you? It's really delicious and it's filled with..."

            He didn't get to finish his words as Max suddenly blew at the seashell, sending black liquid spilling at his face. Everyone laughed in amusement at Pad's sooty-looking face glaring accusingly at Max. Needless to say, Robert _seriously_ needed to get his facts straight. It was actually called Numnack, a type of tidbit for merpeople where they put in sweetened black ink of a squid into a seashell and they suck it through a mouthpiece. Max grinned apologetically as Pad rubbed his face clean. Luckily, Pad was able to take it humorously. The rest of the meal went by pretty smoothly. The food tasted great and Max liked all of them. He was mute, so he couldn't ask what they were made of. But then, come to think of it, it could be made out of something outrageous. He'd rather be left in the dark.

            Later that night, Max was shown by Phoebe to his room. King Benedict and his wife were on a trip to the other side of the Pacific, so they wouldn't be home for a week. Phoebe asked Max if he would like to go downtown with her to see the sights. Max, of course, nodded happily. Phoebe smiled happily and gave him a peck on the cheek, wishing him a good night's sleep and a pleasant dream. Max could just die of happiness right here, right now.

            "I wonder if Virginia's OK," Norman talked to himself as Max got ready for bed. It was actually a huge oyster with its tongue as a blanket, really soft and nice. "If she has awakened like SkullMaster said she would, what would happen if she finds us both gone? She might go into a frenzy and black out again. I'm worried, Max. What do you think?"

           He turned around and saw that Max had already fallen asleep peacefully in his oyster bed. The oyster remained open, as if waiting for Norman to hop in and sleep. Norman smiled weakly and shook his head. It's been a while since he had seen Max so happy. Maybe it is his destiny after all to be with his lovely dream princess of the sea. If only he could kiss her in time. That would mean the world to Max to be able to stay with Phoebe happily ever after.

            "Well, we'll just have to see what happens then," Norman sighed as he slipped into the tongue of the oyster and crawled closer beside Max.

            As he, too, fell asleep, the oyster closed slowly.

A/N: Let's just hope that Max's day ahead will be great. Reviews plz!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Now that Max had got to know Phoebe a little bit better, let's check out their date down in mermaid town, shall we? And then we shall find out about SkullMaster's true blue plan!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

            Max woke up the next morning by the chirping sound of Reynard, Phoebe's pet dolphin. The oyster opened automatically and the first thing that caught Max's eyes was the beady eyes of Reynard. Max gasped and backed away, making a soundless scream.

            "Reynard! How many times do I have to tell you? Don't scare our guest!" Phoebe's voice came in, sounding very exasperated as she tugged the little naughty dolphin away. Max heaved a sigh of relief. He had to get used to this kind of wake up call if Reynard was going to keep doing this everyday.

            "I am so sorry, my friend," Phoebe came over to check if he was alright. "My Reynard is always excited when there are guests around the house. Rise and shine, friend. It's time you get ready. We're going to town, remember?"

            Within minutes, Max got himself all cleaned up and all decorated up for the occasion. They both hopped on a dolphin each—Phoebe on Reynard and Max on Pac's pet dolphin Phoenix—and were soon heading towards the merpeople town. Once there, Max feasted his eyes on everything that was new and intriguing to him. There were people selling odd and weird things that weren't in his secret sea collection, stalls that were set up _way_ more beautiful than the stalls he normally saw in his own home and even places where you can just relax and have a drink or so and just dance away to the music played spontaneously. There was once when Max tried the seadragon ride (one of the merpeople town's famous rides) and he rode the darn seadragon so excitedly that he almost crashed into the merpeople and the stalls around. Luckily, he was able to keep control of the seadragon after quite a while and nothing was damaged. Phoebe took it humorously and laughed like she never laughed before. Overall, it was a colourful, beautiful city busting with life and happiness. Max sure enjoyed his time, especially when it was with his darling princess Phoebe.

            Norman was following around wherever they went, trying to keep up with them as they went from one place to another. The fat body given by SkullMaster sure took a toll on his speed, but he had to keep an eye on his little master. Robert just so happened to pass by and whispered excitedly, "Hey, Norman! Did he kiss her yet?"

            "Not yet!" Norman hissed, much to Robert's disappointment. He, too, ended up tagging along to check out the fun. He sure didn't want to miss out anything.

            After a long day's touring around, Max and Phoebe relaxed on a slow ride on a humpback whale, enjoying the starry night sky from under the sea. Norman and Robert were still following them around, trying to see what's going on and hoping something good might happen. Phoebe looked intently at Max, her face showing that she was deep in thought. Max jerked his head, meaning that he was asking what she was looking at.

            "I dunno," Phoebe rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "You look a wee bit like my childhood sweetheart Prince Drakeb, but you sure are not him, that I know. And yet you really remind me of someone else, but I just can't put my finger in it. You saved me, but I can't ask you your name, 'coz you can't talk. So, uh, how about I guess your name?"

            Max shrugged. He didn't mind what she does, as long as he's with her.

            "Let's see. I'll figure out your name…hmm…Bingo?"

            Max screwed his face in disgust, unable to believe his name was associated to a farmer's dog. Phoebe chuckled.

            "OK, not Bingo. How about…Darren? Richard?"

            Max shook his head at all the names. They all sounded common. His was special, and he wanted Phoebe to know that. Norman groaned and sneaked up behind Phoebe, whispering, "Maxwell. His name is Maxwell."

            "Maxwell…?" Phoebe turned around, feeling weird. She thought she heard someone saying a name and muttered it to herself. Max heard her and nodded excitedly. Phoebe turned back to him and asked, "Maxwell? That's your name? That sounds kinda cute…and special. OK, Maxwell it is."

            As the couple continued to glide down the sea on the humpback whale, they began to stare at each other dreamily. Nothing could get better than this. Phoebe was sure that Max was the one who saved her that fateful night, voice or no voice. She was sure now that she had fallen in love with this saviour of hers who had risked his life to get her out of the open air, and was sure that she was going to be his wife. Max, on the other hand, was trying to control his furiously beating heart. She was there, just right in front of him, her lips ready to be claimed. He had risked his life to get the payment to seal the deal, traded his voice in exchange for this new body and now all he needed was to get a kiss from Phoebe to strengthen the spell and be with his love forever. He was willing to go great lengths for this and he would do it again if he had to. Both their eyes stared and stared, seeping deep into their inner souls and seeing through what they truly want. Before they knew it, their lips came closer and closer until they were almost in the verge of touching…

            Suddenly the humpback whale lurched backward and threw Max and Phoebe off its back. Norman and Robert, who were watching nervously as the two lovebirds were about to kiss, groaned in disappointment as max and Phoebe moved quickly out of the panicked whale's way. The whale swam off as if being frightened by something and left them behind. Phoebe tried to recollect herself and turned to Max, asking, "Are you alright, Maxwell?"

            Max nodded, feeling weird about why that humpback whale suddenly reacted that way. He pointed at the whale with a questioning look on his face. Phoebe noticed.

            "Yeah, tell me about it. I've taken rides like this since I was a kid and it never reacted this way. Weird, though. Don't worry, I gotcha. Let's go home. It's seriously late anyway. Pablio would go into a fit if I don't get home soon."

            With that, Max and Phoebe swam hand in hand towards the direction of the castle, looking slightly disappointed that the steam and romantic intimacy they felt just now suddenly cut off. Norman and Robert said their goodbyes gloomily and went on their own ways. But behind their backs, a pair of smoky-looking ladies hugged each other victoriously, letting out a silent snake-like laugh as they slithered back up to the surface.

            "That was close! Too close! The little tramp! Oh, he's better than I thought!"

            SkullMaster was in his lair, watching Max and Phoebe from the mists emitted from the cauldron. He angrily swiped the mists away and stomped towards his potion shelves. He pushed and shoved, even making a few bottles drop and crash to the ground, looking for something. He finally found the thing he was looking for: a wilted, dried rose that he had kept in a large pink bottle. He took it out and eyed it like it was some kind of marvelous treasure.

            It was the exact same rose that Max had risked his life getting from The Beastess's garden. Unknown to Max, as soon as Max had transformed into a merman and was brought down to the sea, SkullMaster had taken out the rose from his concoction as quick as he could get his hands into it before it melts down and dissolves completely in the cauldron. The rose sure meant something to him alright—he needed it so that he would be able to go back to The Beastess's castle and claim what he had longed and believe to receive for such a long time: The King of the West. The King of the West was known to rule over all the lands of the West and has been in control for many centuries until it had reached a certain generation where the ruler was a sort of disappointment to the family tree. That particular ruler ruled his kingdom with an iron fist and many suffered because of his ways. Finally the people started rebelling and fought back, bringing down the ruler. The last surviving heir of the family managed to escape and was ashamed of his tyrant father and swore never to rule the land again until there is someone worthy for the cause. He ordered his Wiseman, who was also a magician and had survived the attack, to seal the castle and all of what's left in there until fate chooses the right person to rule the West once more. But the Wiseman added an extra ingredient to the spell. He put an enchantment to all the servants who used to work for The King of the West—namely Rusty, Normie, Virgil, Junior, etc—and turned them all into animated objects and turned the last surviving convict from the dungeons of the castle into The Beastess and ordered her to guard the castle until the rightful owner returns. As she was one of the most bad-tempered and dangerous convicts arrested by the previous King, The Beastess transformation was an extra sentence to her to show her how her true bestial colours inside her were.

            Of course, everyone deserves a second chance, but some people had to earn it. So before leaving, the Wiseman left The Beastess a mirror which was the only window for her to the outside world so that she can keep with the change of time. The shining rose Max saw before in the belljar was an enchanted rose and bloomed until she was about 18 years old (she was very young when she was arrested—a very dangerous crook with a bad childhood she was) before it started wilting. The rose acted as a sort of hourglass and the condition was that if The Beastess could learn to love another and earn his love by the time the last petal fell, the bestial curse on her would be broken and everyone would return back into their normal bodies again. If not, she would be doomed to remain a Beastess for all time and the servants stay as animated objects even if the true heir has returned to claim the throne.

            That 200-year-old rose grew there for a reason too, but it was known only to the Wiseman. For generations, the Wiseman and his forefathers before him have predicted that this black sheep generation and this rebellion would happen. Nothing could prevent it. So his ancestor, the first Wiseman to work for the first King of the West, cast an enchantment on one particular rose among the rose bushes and claimed to it that when this rebellion happens, the rose would act as a charm to break the seal from the castle, along with a magic ring, and claim the throne. And this is where SkullMaster came in. Generations had passed and the legend of The King of the West was slowly forgotten. The only thing well known was The Beastess in a horrible-looking castle. SkullMaster had discovered a long time ago about the legend when he was in one of his voyages with his half-brother Blake. Yes, that's right. SkullMaster—or Scott, as he used to be named—was Blake's half-brother. Blake was always the favourite son of the family and it wasn't before long that SkullMaster got jealous of him. He kept thinking that there was something behind all this favouritism and believed that he should have it, not Blake. He and Blake had a crush on Virginia at the same time, but Virginia chose Blake instead, which made his jealousy even deeper.

            So when Blake buying the magic ring, claiming to use it to propose to Virginia with it, he was lucky that Blake had ignored the scroll that came along with it, thinking that it was all hogwash and that it's nothing more than a ring with a little bit of destructive powers in it. He borrowed the ring and took the scroll and soon learnt about the legend of The King of the West. He was thrilled. This was his big break! Since he was just a half-brother to Blake, maybe his bloodline had something to do with this King of the West that his side of the family didn't know of! This has to be what he deserved for! 'We'll see who's the favourite son now!' he thought.

            But alas, the ring was not meant for him. When Blake tried the ring out for fun in front of his crew and his trusted shipmate Norman, it glowed, just like the scroll said it would when the rightful king came to possess it. The ring can be used by anyone else of its destructive powers, but only the true heir of The King of the West is able to use it to its full potential. SkullMaster was devastated and disappointed once again to know that in the end, Blake would be King and still be the favourite son. He remembered the last conversation he had with Blake after that ring incident…

_            "Life's not fair, isn't it?" Scott talked to himself as he used his fork to fiddle with the noodles on his plate. "I'm always in the background, having to answer for all the mistakes my dear ol' brother does. And alas, I, who is supposed to receive my dues, shall never be king. And you, my little noodle friend, shall never see the light of another day. Adieu!"_

_            "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?"_

_            Scott rolled his eyes and sighed at Norman's disgusted voice, "What do you want?"_

_            "I'm here to tell you that Captain Blake is on his way," __Norman__ replied, crossing his arms. "So you better give him a good excuse for not attending the ceremony this morning."_

_            Scott knew what he meant. It was a tradition for Fishermen's __Friend__Village__ that every newborn baby has to be presented at the village church to receive his or her family and relatives' blessing before being baptized. Needless to say, after the cruel reality of the ring belonging to Blake, he wasn't interested in any other affairs Blake had in mind. Absentmindedly, he accidentally dropped the meatball he was about to eat._

_            "Oh, now, __Norman__, you made me lose my lunch."_

_            "Hah! You'll lose more when the captain gets through with you. He's as mad as a lion with a thorn on his paw."_

_            "Oooh, I quiver with fear!" Scott said sarcastically as he brandished the knife at __Norman__'s beard. He was about to give him an instant shave when Blake came in the nick of time._

_            "Scott, let him go."_

_            "In perfect timing, Captain, sir," __Norman__ noted gratefully. Scott reluctantly put the knife down and turned to his brother with a sly smile._

_            "Why, if it isn't my big brother descending from his heights mingling with the commoners."_

_            "Virginia and I didn't see you at the baptism of Maxwell," Blake got to the point._

_            "That was today? Oh, this is simply awful of me!" Scott pretended to be shocked, then dragged his fork on the plate, making __Norman__ cringe. "Must have slipped my mind."_

_            "Well, as slippery as your mind is," __Norman__ went over towards Scott and bellowed, "as the Captain's brother, you should've been first in line!"_

_            "I was first in line, until that little hairball was born."_

_            "That hairball is my son and your nephew," Blake said, keeping his cool. "You should be at least proud of him; he's the first grandson to be born in our family of granddaughters, lucky for our parents."_

_            "Oh, then perhaps I should practice my tap dance," Scott said mockingly as he went off, leaving his noodles untouched._

_            "Don't you turn your back on me, Scott!"_

_            "Oh no, Blake. Perhaps you shouldn't turn your back on me."_

_            Blake stormed over in front of his half-brother and grabbed him by the collar, growling, "Is that a challenge?"_

_            "Temper, temper," Scott replied in a cool cat way, taking Blake's hands off his collar. "I wouldn't dream of challenging you."_

_            "Pity. Why not?" __Norman__ asked, disappointed. He was hoping Blake could give this pain-in-the-ass a good wallop._

_            "Well, as far as the brains and the ship crew status go, I get the lion's share and half the booty, but when it comes to brutal strength…" Scott glared his cold yellow eyes at his half-brother's sky-blue ones, then sighed tiredly and walked off, saying, "I guess I'm just the shadowy end of the gene pool."_

_            As he disappeared out of sight and hid at one corner, he heard Norman and Blake talking to each other._

_            "There's one in every family, Captain, sir," __Norman__ said. "Two can't be competent together. They always manage to ruin special occasions."_

_            "What am I gonna do with him?" Blake sighed._

_            "Well, he'll make a very handsome throw rug," __Norman__ suddenly suggested._

_            "__Norman__, that's not funny!" Blake scolded playfully._

_            "Hey, just think. Whenever he gets dirty, you just take him out and beat him."_

            SkullMaster shook off that memory. He and Blake never clicked. There's always something that they had to fight about, and he was always to blame. Never once was Blake punished—maybe once or twice—for the things he did. It was always him. He hated it. Even when Blake tried to make peace and be friends with him, he refused to acknowledge it, thinking it was all just for show. He wasn't even satisfied when Blake had made him his first mate on ship.

            He had his share of watching Max grow up, though he knew that little blonde hairball was afraid of him. Max had no idea that SkullMaster was his half-uncle, but he called him 'Uncle' just the same. He had a few words with him once when Max only the wee age of 6…

_            "Hey, Uncle Scott! Guess what?" Young Max asked as he bounded excitedly towards the musing Scott._

_            "I despise guessing games," Scott muttered through gritted teeth._

_            "I'm gonna be the Captain of __Virginia__," Max grinned delightedly. __Virginia__ the ship was named after his mother by his love-sick father when he was younger._

_            "Oh, goody," Scott said in mocking way._

_            "Dad showed me all the ships in the jetty, and he said that our ship __Virginia__ is the biggest and the strongest of all ships. When I grow up, I'm gonna be the Captain of __Virginia__ and King of the Sea. And I'm gonna rule it all!"_

_            "Yes, but forgive me for not leaping for joy. Bad back, you know."_

_            Max rushed towards Scott who had his back turned to him, tugging on his sleeve and asked, "Hey, Uncle Scott. When I'm the Captain, what'll that make you?"_

_            "A monkey's uncle."_

_            "You're so weird," Max chuckled, taking the comment humorously. Scott turned to him with a mysterious grin._

_            "You have no idea. So, your father showed all the ship in the jetty, didn't he?"_

_            "Everything."_

_            "He didn't show you the ol' rundown sooty-looking boat over there now, did he?" Scott jerked his head at the ship that looked almost like the Black __Pearl__ ship in Pirates of the __Caribbean__. Everyone feared that ship and never dared go near it. It was, of course, belonging to the rich eccentric bachelor man who had committed suicide. It had a really bad vibe over it and no one even dare to buy or use that ship. It even had a really dark name: Dementor (**A/N: Sorry, this name just so happen to appear in my head after the experience of watching Prisoner of Azkaban **)._

_            "Well, no," Max replied, disappointed. Always the adventurous one. "He said I can't go there."_

_            "And he's absolutely right. It's far too dangerous," Scott replied half-truthfully, fearing that ship a little. "The owner had been to many places with the wretched ship of his. Really dark and gloomy places too, I must say, although he had been to other more beautiful places. But then again, only the bravest sailors go there."_

_            "Well, I'm brave. What beautiful place…"_

_            "Oh, sorry, Maxwell, I just can't tell you."_

_            "Why not?"_

_            "Maxwell, Maxwell," Scott said in a pretend concerned voice, patting Max's head. "I'm only looking out for the wellbeing of my favourite nephew."_

_            "Yeah, right. I'm your only nephew. Adopted nephew, that is."_

_            "Which is why I'm a little bit more protective. Besides, a mermaid world is no place for a young boy…Oops!" Of course, Scott actually did that deliberately._

_            "A mermaid what?! Wow!!" Those words sure got Max's attention._

_            "Oh dear, I said too much. I suppose you'll find out sooner or later. You've been so clever, but just promise me one little thing," Scott brought Max closer to him, making his voice cute. "Promise me you'll never visit that dreadful ship."_

_            "No problem," Max replied, but Scott could tell from his eyes that he had his fingers crossed._

_            "That's a good lad. You run along now and have fun. And remember, it's our little secret."_

            Needless to say those words sure got Max into trouble and earned his father's scolding, which of course, Scott backed Max up, like the 'good uncle' he should be. He realized that this child has a formidable mind and if he got into his good side, he'll have his favour in everything and soon might even get Virginia's attention. So his evil mind came up with a plan to kill Blake at sea and make it look like an accident. That fateful night before he pushed his half-brother to his death was so victorious to the end…

_            The winds were strong. The sails couldn't bear the wind and the strong waves that shook and rocked them like a small matchbox. The crew was hanging on for their dear lives not to die and Blake was yelling out orders to keep the boat afloat, and that means dumping unnecessary cargo. Soon, it was evident to everyone that the ship was about to sink. Blake yelled for everyone to abandon ship and quickly led his crew towards the small boats on the sides of the ship. While he was lowering the last boat for himself and letting __Norman__ and the last batch of crew into the boat first, he accidentally slipped and was hanging desperately on the deck. By then, Norman and the crew were already on the boat and were rowing about a few feet away from the ship. Blake was about to climb back up the ship when he saw Scott standing near the deck with his yellow eyes staring coldly at him._

_            "Scott! Why aren't you on the boat?! I thought you've gotten on!"_

_            Scott didn't reply. He continued to stare at Blake, ignoring __Norman__'s frantic cry to stay there and don't move while he rowed the boat closer to the ship._

_            "Scott, please! Brother, help me up! __Norman__ will come get us! Help me up!"_

_            Scott remained there for a few moments before finally reaching over and grabbed his wrists. But instead of pulling him up, he leaned closer to him and hissed, "Long live the King!"_

_            Blake widened his eyes, not understanding what he meant. It was obvious he still had no idea about the King of the West legend. Before he could comprehend, Scott had already let him go. He could still remember Blake's scream as he plummeted towards the sea and carried away by a sudden wave that coincidentally swept along. Norman yelled for Blake and Scott yelled too, pretending to look guilty for being unable to save his half-brother. Just when he was about to yell again, another wave hit the ship and tossed him overboard._

_            He soon found himself sinking deeper and deeper, not knowing when to stop…_

            The bubbling cauldron woke him up from his memories. The potion was ready. He plucked one petal from the rose and the concoction immediately turned from green to a bright blue. He stirred the potion some more and, when it was quite ready, scooped some of it into a bottle. He muttered an enchantment and the potion turned crystal clear, like water.

            "Blake's throne will be mine! And I'll make his son suffer for what he had done to me! I'll take whatever that's rightfully mine and I'll see that little hairball wriggle like a worm on a hook!"

            SkullMaster's menacing laughter rang throughout the whole village that night and even reached the ears of the worried-looking WarMonger who was getting ready to toll the midnight bells.

A/N: Oh boy! I sense SkullMaster is sure up to no good, that's for sure! Well, carry on reading while I do the next chappie! Reviews plz! Arigato!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: What's gonna happen next? Will Max's happiness stay on forever? Not telling! You have to read to find out!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

                Meanwhile, back in the sea, Max was back on his oyster bed getting ready for bed. While he tucked into his comfy slumber place, Phoebe was at the living room with her parents and her brothers. It seemed that the trip to the Pacific was called off and they had to come back due the heavy tsunami up front. King Benedict was complaining about it with his family.

            "Can you imagine? We have gone all the way down to the middle of the trip when suddenly I was stopped by some aqua marines and they said that there was a tsunami up ahead and no one was to go anywhere near the Pacific. We had to go all the way back! Can you imagine how tiring it was?"

            "That's awful, Father," Pince commented, the other brothers nodding in agreement. "Must be some tough weather up ahead."

            "Father," Phoebe, after much contemplation, finally picked up the courage to tell her father. "I've been meaning to tell you this ever since you came back. Remember that night when Tiger the Great White crashed my birthday party?"

            "How can I forget?" King Benedict rolled his eyes. "That was awful of him. I was almost worried sick when you disappeared all of a sudden."

            "Well, Father," Phoebe said as she tugged at his arm lightly. "I want you to go and meet my saviour."

            "He's...He's here? The one who saved you?" King Benedict was surprised.

            "Yes. He's at his bed right now. I think he's asleep, so let's not wake him."

            With that, King Benedict, together with the Queen Fridorithia and the brothers, followed Phoebe to Max's bedroom. The oyster he was sleeping in was closed, so Phoebe swam in quietly and opened the oyster slowly so as not to wake him. She gestured her father to come in and take a look at him. He went over as his daughter requested and when he took a peek, his face turned from interested to shock. Blonde hair, fair skin, the shape of the face...He looked so familiar...

            "He's handsome, isn't he?" Phoebe whispered as she gazed dreamily at Max's sleeping face. "He's mute, but he understands things. I'm going to marry him, Father, that's for sure."

            "Just listen to her, Father!" Pablio groaned, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Can you believe you want marry someone whom you don't even know? Would you please knock some sense into her, Father?"

            "All I know is that he saved me and he loves me," Phoebe scowled as she closed the oyster and left the bedroom. "That's all I need. Father, please say you'll let me marry him, please?"

            "Well, he is quite charming," Queen Fridorithia agreed. "And he did save your life..."

            "Mother! I cannot believe you would actually agree to this insanity!" Pad exclaimed in shock, disgusted at Phoebe's smug look on her face.

            "I don't see anything bad about it," Pjer commented, with Pac nodding in agreement at the background. "There's no point wanting to marry someone if you don't love him or her anymore."

            "Are you saying," Pince had his hands on his waist, "that Phoebe doesn't love Drakeb anymore? They're supposed to be the kingdom's famous sweethearts!"

            "Well...not that I don't love Drakeb anymore, but..." Phoebe admitted sheepishly. "But it's just that...well...if Drakeb loved me, he would've saved me that day. Instead it was Maxwell."

            "Maxwell?" the brothers turned to her questioningly.

            "That's his name. I had to guess his name coz he can't talk, remember?"

            "Come on, sis!" Peter waved his arms dramatically. "Drakeb was with me the whole time looking for you that day! He even sent over some flying fish to see where you are up in the surface! He was meaning to go up there himself to save you but it was me who stopped him."

            "Well, nothing stopped Maxwell from saving me," Phoebe replied indignantly. "And he risked his life doing it. Oh, Father, please tell me you'll let me marry him. Please?"

            King Benedict got out of his deep thoughts. He didn't answer at first but swam back to the living room. The rest of the family followed suite with thoughts of their own in their heads: Phoebe, Pac and Pjer hoping that he would agree; Peter, Pablio, Pince and Pad hoping that he _wouldn't_ agree; and Queen Fridorithia puzzling at what her husband had in mind. When he sat down, he looked up to his daughter and said, "You said that his name is Maxwell, right?"

            "Yes," Phoebe said, her heart beating anxiously.

            "Do you all remember how I got to become part of this sea?"

            The Queen and the sons nodded. It was that fateful year when Queen Fridorithia—still mourning for the loss of her first husband due to war with a seawitch—was taking a walk while trying to contemplate how was she going to save the royal monarchy. Peter, the eldest of all her sons, was still too young to replace his father as the King back then and she sure couldn't govern the sea alone. She needed help and she needed it quick, but none of her sons were at the right age or at the right mindset to help her out. As she continued to muse about her misfortune, she saw at a distance a male human who was falling deeper and deeper into the depths of the treacherous sea. He was dressed in attire she saw only humans have and he looked as if he was going to die if he didn't go back to the surface fast. Out of haste, she used her late husband's trident and somehow transformed him into a genuine merman. It was something she never expected to do, but the only way to save his life.

            She soon brought him back to the castle to nurse him back to health. He had a temporary amnesia and couldn't remember who he was, so Pjer and Pac, the twins and the youngest among the sons, naughtily named him 'Benedict' from a science book they just so happen to come across in a sunken ship. Slowly, as his memory cleared, he began to remember his wife Virginia and his son Maxwell and began to tell them what he had recalled in the past. But somehow, the bitter trauma of Scott actually trying to murder him had caused him to have selective amnesia; he can't seem to remember that particular incident. You guessed it alright—ours truly King Benedict was actually Blake who was thought to be dead at sea!

            He had thoughts of going back to the surface but Queen Fridorithia realized that she cared for him too much to leave (in other words, she had fallen in love with him ). He tried to go up to the surface once to check on his family and saw the changes Norman had made after his so-called death. The ship was sold and he had become the family butler, and he was managing the family quite well too. He could tell that Norman had a crush on Virginia and would be unkind of him to break it up as Virginia had learnt to move on with life without him (although she couldn't let bygones be bygones with the sea). Besides, he had to admit that he also had a liking for Queen Fridorithia who had been so kind and nice to him and that she failed, after many attempts, to try and transform him back to human. It was a tradition in the royal family that only the King is allowed to read and practice the trident's magic. Queens are not allowed. To top it all up, Queen Fridorithia was actually pregnant with his child Phoebe (obviously, he got a little too 'naughty'). So, in the end, Blake—or Benedict—married the Queen and was claimed the new King, much to the sons' approval and delight.

            "What is it, dear?" Queen Fridorithia asked. "Thinking about your human life again?"

            "Yeah. What's your human life got to do with Phoebe marrying Maxwell?" Pjer asked.

            "It has everything to do with it, son," King Benedict replied. He turned to Phoebe and said, "I'm sorry, my sweet. I cannot let you marry that young man."

            "W...Why not?" Phoebe asked, shocked. The brothers that disapproved this marriage looked thrilled.

            "Because he was a human. I don't know why and I don't know how he did it—probably by sorcery—but he was human before. You cannot marry him."

            "I don't care even if he was a jellyfish, Father! I love him! He saved my life! He must have been through hell to try and alter himself like this!"

            "I understand, but..."

            "You were human once but you married Mother all the same! Why can't I marry Maxwell?!"

            "Because..." King Benedict hesitated before replying, "Because he's your half-brother."

            "WHAT?!" Now everyone was shocked. Queen Fridorithia came up to King Benedict with a worried look on her face.

            "You mean...that child...is your son? Your human son?"

            King Benedict sighed and nodded, "Yes, he's my human son. The son that I had let go for this life. Phoebe, sweetheart, I know he must've loved you so much to go through this transformation and all that, but he had fallen into a forbidden love. He's your brother, Phoebe. Your human half-brother. I'm sorry. You can't marry him."

            "No...No...It can't be...! It can't be true...!" Phoebe shook her head in denial and backed away.

            "Sweetheart, please," King Benedict tried to coax her but she had made a dash out of the castle, crying pools of tears. The brothers want to give chase but their mother stopped them.

            "Don't worry. Let her be alone for a while. She'll come home sooner or later."

            Drakeb was sitting at his home sulking all day. He had heard wind about Max and he sure didn't like the rumour about Max being the potential husband for Phoebe. He had caught a glimpse of them downtown and had a good mind to go up to them and give Max a piece of his mind for taking away his love he had a crush on since he was a child, but seeing Phoebe so happy with him ached his heart and he couldn't bear to see her unhappy if he crashed the party. He was about to hit the hay with that awful anger churning inside when he heard one of his servants come in.

            "What is it?" Drakeb asked irritably.

            "It's Princess Phoebe, Your Highness. She wishes to see you."

            Drakeb was surprised. At this hour? What could it be? "Bring her in."

            The servant nodded and gestured Phoebe who was standing beside him to enter. As Drakeb turned to face her, he was shocked to see Phoebe with red sodden eyes, like she had cried a great deal. Drakeb tended to her immediately.

            "What's wrong, Phoebe my love? Is there something wrong? Did that saviour of yours hurt you in any way?"

            Phoebe didn't reply, but flung her arms around Drakeb and sobbed once more. Drakeb didn't know what happened and wasn't sure how to react, but he knew that Phoebe needed comfort. He wrapped his arms around her and hushed her.

            "There, there, whatever is bothering you, I'm here for you, Phoebe my love."

            "Wake up, Max! Wakey, wakey, wakey!"

            Max blinked his eyes groggily at the sound of Robert calling from outside his oyster shell. The oyster shell opened, revealing a smiley-faced Robert. Norman muttered something about "5 more minutes, Mother" and drew the oyster tongue over his head. Robert went over to pull the covers off Norman and grinned from ear to ear. Max yawned and streched himself, jerking his head at Robert to ask what was the occasion.

            "Wake up, sleepy head! It's a brand new day!" Robert yelled at Norman's face.

            "You're awfully excited about everything," Norman muttered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

            "Of course I am, you silly little catfish!" Robert exclaimed as he rubbed his knuckles on Norman's head. "Today is the 3rd day, last chance for Max to get a kiss from his darling Phoebe! I saw her and her family discussing something really exciting and I bet my bones they're discussing marriage. I've got a good feeling about today, so come on, Max! Get up and get ready!"

            Max calculated the days and soon realized that Robert was right after all. It was his 3rd day and if he didn't get a kiss from Phoebe by the time the moon rises tonight, he would become a human again and goodness knows what SkullMaster would do to him. He quickly got out of bed and arranged himself before rushing towards the living room to check out and see what were the family discussing about.

            Once he was about a foot away from the living room, he was shocked to see his rival Drakeb sitting together beside Phoebe as he talked cheerfully with her family. They all looked happy to be chit-chatting with Drakeb and it seemed as if they were discussing something very happily.

            "Of course, you know we would have to invite elaborate guests, Drakeb," he heard King Benedict talking.

            "Don't worry, Your Majesty," Drakeb said nonchalantly. "I assure you the people that I've invited would be flocking into the ceremony even if it's the last minute."

            "We have planned this wedding for so long," Peter said. "Phoebe and Drakeb have already been betrothed since the very first time they met. Although not exactly officially, but both parties did agree for them to be together."

            "That's right," Pablio agreed. "It's only too befitting to be finally married. How's about we wed them by tonight, before the moon rises?"

          "Excellent suggestion," King Benedict replied. "Phoebe sweetheart, is there any close friends you would like to invite? Maybe that young gentleman you said have rescued you..."

            Max couldn't listen to it anymore. Robert was half-right—they were discussing marriage alright, but not between him and Phoebe, but between her and his rival Drakeb! He swam away, his heart breaking. Phoebe caught a glimpse of him leaving but didn't want to alert her family by chasing after him. Needless to say, when she tried to look for Max to explain things, she couldn't find him anywhere. She assumed that he had already returned back to his human world where he belonged. Little did she know that Max had been hiding at the tower of the castle the whole day wallowing in self-pity. He watched as the preparations were made and everyone got ready for tonight's wedding. As he continued to watch, he slumped to the floor of the tower and sobbed silently. 'She had never loved me,' Max thought to himself. 'She was only grateful for what I've done for her. She's been in love with Drakeb all along. The day she wanted to kiss me was just a phase, a normal reflex...She doesn't love me at all...'

            Norman, who was beside him all the while, couldn't help shedding a tear as he, too, felt Max's loss.

            Felix was walking about at the jetty, thinking about his best friend Max. Now that Norman had disappeared as well, the whole village was talking about a certain curse coming into town or something. They began making rumours, gossips and urban legends about a spirit that had followed Virginia back home (which caused her to be in a coma) and started kidnapping people. Children were afraid to stay out of the houses after dark and there was a certain aura that made Fishermen's Friend Village not so cheerful and friendly as it used to be.

            "Man, so many happenings in this village," Felix sighed. "And I thought this was a nice, quaint village where nothing big happens around here. Guess times have changed."

            "Times have changed, my friend."

            Felix turned around and was taken aback to see the owner of the cold voice belonging to a hooded man with a pair of sinister-looking yellow eyes. He couldn't see the face clearly because of the hood, but he could tell that this man sure wasn't someone you want to mess with. Obviously, it was SkullMaster but, of course, Felix didn't know that.

            "Who are you, dude?" Felix asked tentatively.

            "Names aren't important, my friend," SkullMaster replied. "There's a favour I need to ask from you."

            "Wh...What is it?"

            "I'm worried about our village, and I believe it has something to do with the spirit of the sea. I want to make peace with it but then I'm allergic to sea water and even the sea air," Skullmaster dug out a bottle of crystal clear water and gave it to Felix. "I want you to go down to the sea and row to the deepest side. From there, I want you to turn west and row 14 times and then turn south and row 20 times. After that, I want you to take this vile and throw it as far as you possibly can. Row back home immediately after you're done."

            Felix took a look at the bottle he was handed and checked the content. Nothing special to look at—a perfectly normal bottle of clear water—but he was still suspicious.

            "Hey, what's in this stuff? How can you make peace with just a bottle of water...?"

            He looked and saw that SkullMaster was gone. Nowhere to be seen. He suddenly had the shivers but then his heart told him to do whatever this mysterious man told him to do before he gets himself into trouble. Soon, he could be seen borrowing one of the fishermen's boat and was rowing towards the direction he was instructed.

            Meanwhile, back at Max's home, Virginia still lay on her bed unconscious and still. It has been about 3 days since SkullMaster made the bargain with Norman to cure her ailment but he still hadn't made a move yet. He wasn't someone who would break a deal, but he had his own twisted ways to fulfill it.

            Besides, he had a plan to carry out.

            Soon, the bedroom door opened and there stood SkullMaster with his hood down. He walked stealthily towards the sleeping Virginia and knelt beside her. He took out a black vile from his robe sleeve and pulled the cork out with his teeth. He spat out the cork, filled his mouth with the black concoction and held up Virginia's head. He brought his lips close hers and kissed, feeding her with the concoction. He savoured the taste of her lips and her tongue, enjoying lavishly every moment of it--he had wanted to do this for a very, very long time.

            Slowly, Virginia fluttered her eyes open as she woke up from her deep coma. Her eyes that met him weren't the usual ocean-blue eyes, but eyes as dark as night. She stared at SkullMaster for a long while before she let out a blissful smile and fell into his embrace. SkullMaster smiled back and hugged her.

            "Good evening, my lovely wife."

A/N: Yikes!!! This is bad! This is seriously, seriously bad, man!!! What'll happen next? 00 Read on to know about it!


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Now that Max had got to know Phoebe a little bit better, let's check out their date down in mermaid town, shall we? And then we shall find out about SkullMaster's true blue plan!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

                                                A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

                Max continued to cry sadly and bitterly as he watched Phoebe and her family paraded towards the chapel where she and Drakeb would be wed. Drakeb had won the war, that's for sure. There's no doubt about that. He knew he shouldn't have made the deal with SkullMaster. The price for it was too absurd—his voice? He couldn't talk to her and he couldn't tell her how he felt about her and he most certainly couldn't tell her that he was the one who saved her that day. Norman tried to calm him down but it was no use; unable to talk about it literally wasn't making Max feeling any better.

            Just when he thought he was done for, suddenly a small bottle came sinking down towards him. Max was curious—who could be sending a message? A stranded man on a no-man's island? A person dangling on a shipwrecked boat? Only people in trouble would send messages in a bottle like this. He reached over and took the bottle.

            As soon as he touched the bottle, a huge black mist surrounded his hand that grabbed it. He was shocked to see SkullMaster's smiling face at him. SkullMaster waved his staff at him and said, "This is a holographic message, so listen carefully. I've been watching you for quite a while now, and I realize that you haven't been successful in your mission. Well, part of it has to be my fault 'coz I was the one who asked your voice for payment, so let me make it up to you. Drink this potion I've brewed for you and soon you will be able to talk again. Your voice wouldn't come immediately but that'll give you time to get to the wedding fast and kiss the bride. Now go, and may you be happy."

           The mist disappeared, leaving Max sitting there dazed with the bottle in his hand. It sure didn't look like potion to him, what with the crystal clear content in it. It probably was just filled with seawater and nothing else. But then again, it could be true. He had been brewing many weird potions and he had used it to change his body mechanism. He loved Phoebe and would go to the ends of the world for her, so what has he got to lose with drinking this potion? What choice did he have?

            _"Before the moon rises on the 3rd night..."_

            The next thing he knew, he was emptying the content of the bottle into his gut and soon was swimming after the parade which was leaving him far behind. It tasted like drinking pepper but he didn't care. He had to get to Phoebe and fast so that he could kiss her and be a merman.

            Anything is worthwhile for her.

            Everyone talked in hushed voices as the wedding march was played. The chapel was quite packed with guests both young and old, rich and poor, merman and mermaid alike. They were all looking very excited to see the bride. Everyone has expected Drakeb and Phoebe being together as a royal couple. There was no doubt in their minds that Drakeb and Phoebe were match made in heaven—or sea, to be exact. They can expect for this day to be the most celebrated day of all days.

            Soon Phoebe appeared in the chapel with a long flowing veil that stretched almost as far as 3 feet across the floor and it was sewn on a tiara sparkling with rubies and diamonds. Her beautiful face and magnificent figure made her wedding features look like a Sea Goddess. Drakeb widened his eyes in wonder and blushed as he stared at his bride of beauty walking down the aisle towards the altar with her father King Benedict leading her. As she reached beside Drakeb, he took over and stood before the old merman serving as the priest to minister this wedding. He spoke a short speech on how wonderful was this evening to be gathered here and all that crud before moving into the main point.

            "Do you, Prince Drakeb, take Princess Phoebe as your lawful wedded wife, till death do you part?"

            "I do," Drakeb replied proudly, smiling lovingly at his bride. Phoebe smiled back wryly.

            "And do you, Princess Phoebe, take Prince Drakeb as your lawful wedded husband, till death do you part?" the old merman priest turned to Phoebe and asked.

            "I..." Phoebe hesitated, a pang of guilt went through her heart. She couldn't help feeling sorry for Max whom she had once loved but unable to now. She couldn't help thinking about what Max was doing right now at this very moment. She had to say that she didn't mean to hurt his feelings, but things are just not meant to be right now. She never had a chance to explain and apologize to him, but she couldn't just take off just like that in the middle of her wedding.

            Just when she was about to claim her 'I Do', a long gasp filled the chapel. Drakeb and Phoebe spun round and saw that it was Max barging into the chapel, panting breathlessly. Everyone looked at him and at each other questioningly, not sure what was going on.

            "Maxwell!" Phoebe exclaimed in surprise. "I was looking all over for you! I meant to tell you..."

            Before she could finish her words, she heard a distant singing voice. It was absolutely familiar, she couldn't forget it. It was the beautiful singing voice Max sang to her that she loved so much. As she continued staring at Max gliding towards her, she saw a bright blue glow beating like a heart in Max's throat. His mouth was opened slightly but the voice was pouring in a melodious tune from the throat. Drakeb wanted to go forward and stop him from coming any closer but Phoebe waved him away. As he came closer to her, he finally and actually was able to sing out his tune through his mouth.

            "Ma...Maxwell...?" Phoebe almost breathed her words in wonder.

            "Phoebe..." Max tried out his voice and he could finally hear himself.

            "You...You can talk! You really are the one! It was you all the time!"

            "Hey, Maxwell," Drakeb had his hands on his hips. "If you're asking for a last minute invitation, you're a little bit unorthodoxed here."

            "Oh, Phoebe, I have always wanted to tell you about how I feel about you," Max blabbered, ignoring Draken's remark. "I had to make this terrible deal with this sorcerer and he asked me to trade my voice with this body and I had been through hell for you and I just wanna say that..."

            "I know, Maxwell, I know how you feel for me," Phoebe stopped him with her finger on his lips. "I know that you love me and I loved you too. But...we're not meant to be. I'm sorry, Maxwell, I cannot love you back anymore."

            "Wha...What?" Max was shocked. He couldn't believe his ears. Phoebe—his Princess Phoebe that he had been yearning for all his life and who had made him go through a hellish journey through death and back again—actually rejected him at his face? He couldn't take the pressure. He felt as if he couldn't breathe. In fact, he felt a little squeamish and suffocating right this minute. All of a sudden, he felt as if the water was engulfing his lungs. The pressure was building against him. He fell onto the sand trying to hold his breath and hold on to the pressure around him. Norman, who was with him, gasped and ran towards his aid. Right in front of everybody, his tail began to disintegrate. The scales began to peel and a line ran through the middle of his tail, separating it to two. Everyone gasped in horror as Max slowly turned from an out-of-the-ordinary merman to the normal young human he was.

            "What...What's going on here? What the heck is going on here?" the priest obviously was out of the picture and confused for a minute there.

            There was too much confusion to understand what was going on but so far, Drakeb, Phoebe and her family knew what was going on, and they knew an even bigger thing—Max seriously needed help. Without another word, Phoebe threw off her tiara and grabbed Max's arms, carrying him back to the surface. Drakeb helped her too, carrying him by the legs up towards the surface where he could breathe properly. Conveniently, they found themselves at Fishermen's Friend Village. Luckily, it was the dead of the night, or else someone would panic seeing two real life merpeople carrying their village's prized man out of sea.

            "Max! Max! Max, wake up!" Norman, who had followed them behind, swam over and slapped his face lightly, trying to wake him. "Max, tell me you're alive, Max! Wake up! Wake up!"

            "Uhh..." Max groaned as he blinked his eyes open. He tried to adjust his eyes to the moonlight and soon found himself staring at the relieved faces of Drakeb and Phoebe.

            "Oh, thank goodness you're alright, Maxwell," Phoebe sighed in relief.

            "Yeah," Drakeb agreed. "We almost thought you were a goner, not to mention a wedding crasher."

            "Why, Phoebe?" Max sat up almost immediately. "After all I've done...Why can't you love me back?"

            "Because...Because...I'm your half-sister."

            Max widened his eyes in disbelief. Phoebe cleared her throat and explained as simple as possible about the whole story of how Blake became King Benedict and how she was born. Max heard everything but wasn't sure he was able to take it all in.

            "I'm so sorry, Maxwell," Phoebe apologized again, nodding as Drakeb signalled her about the time limit they have on the surface. "I really did love you before, but...well...we're just not meant to be. I'm sorry."

            With that, they both dove back into the sea and swam back to the chapel to continue their interrupted wedding, leaving Max all alone to muse over his misfortune.

            "I can't believe it, Normie...I can't believe it...All this while, we've been staring at my dad and yet we didn't know it. We've been seeing him so often but we never thought that he is still alive...and...and he married someone else and...had a daughter who just so happen to be my so-called one true love..."

            "I'm so sorry for you, Max...I really am," Norman comforted Max, not daring to tell him that he had already a headstart on knowing King Benedict's true identity.

            "I've been through hell and back...and for what? For something that was never going to be mine...I feel so stupid…" Max said and buried his face in his palms, sobbing his heartbreak out. It felt so bad to be rejected with a reason that was worse than 'I have another boyfriend' line.

            "Poor little kid...Lost a precious one now, aren't we?"

            Max jerked his head up. It was SkullMaster's voice alright, but he was nowhere to be seen, and his smoky henchmen weren't there. Max stood up angrily and started yelling at air.

            "Come on out, you chicken bastard! Stop hiding and face me like a man!"

            "Oh, tsk, tsk, tsk. Is this the way to treat someone who had helped you?"

            "Help me?! You did nothing to help me!! You made me lose everything!! You knew all along that Phoebe is my half-sister and you knew all along that I would never succeed anyway, so you decided to get rid of the spell and reap all the benefits, aren't you?! You're an all-seeing, all-knowing wizard, you should know something about Phoebe's background, shouldn't you?!"

            "Oh, I wouldn't say that I didn't know anything about the little mermaid princess you've been yearning for, but I didn't say I know _everything_ about her either now, did I? You're just a little of what I call collateral damage."

            "What do you want from me, huh? What do you want from me exactly??"

            "Oh, poor little boy, it's not exactly you I'm after. I have a much bigger fish to fry, and you're just a small pawn of mine to get that fish."

            "What exactly are you talking about, SkullMaster?" Norman asked, curious and suspicious about all this conspiracy talk.

            "You'll find out sooner or later," SkullMaster's voice replied silkily. "In the meantime, take a little rest. You're going to need more than what's in store for you in the future."

            With that, Max and Norman suddenly felt their whole world spinning. Norman could feel the slight change in his body and it ached from his head all the way to the tip of his tail. Slowly, they fell, losing all consciousness...

            Max blinked his eyes open and found himself in the bedroom of their cozy home near the hills. As he tried to get up, he turned around and saw Norman--in human form--lying face first on the floor beside his bed. He got off the bed and shook Norman slightly, trying to wake him up.

            "Hey, Normie. Normie, wake up. We're home."

            "Hmm...?" Norman groaned groggily as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "What happened? What's going on here?"

            "The question is how exactly did we get home? And where's Mom?" Max asked, puzzled. Before they could investigate, they suddenly heard a loud commotion outside their house. They went to answer the door and were shocked to see a huge mob of all the people of Fishermen's Friend Village.

            "Uh...hey, guys...uh...can I help you?" Norman asked nervously, not sure what was going on.

            "We're here to collect your little master," one of the people from the mob voiced out.

            "Max? Why?"

            "Don't worry, Norman," another spoke. "The convent for boys will take really good care of him and get rid of the filthy curse he brought upon our village."

            "Curse? What curse? What are you guys talking about?" Norman's words made everyone exclaiming something.

            "Oh, don't play dumb with us, Max! I knew you and your mother are trouble ever since your family moved in here. There's nothing but mishap in this village and we're getting lesser and lesser people coming to our village. We're going broke, and it's all your family's fault!"

            "We know that you've been to The Beastess's lair and you must have angered her. That's why our village has been cursed! It's because of you!"

            "Yeah! The convent will take care of all our problems now that they've agreed to take care of you!"

            "Let's get him, guys!"

            Soon, everyone was coming closer and grabbing Max's arms, dragging him towards the carriage bearing the sign of the boys' convent that has come to take him away. Norman tried to help him but a few other burly-looking men came up and stopped him. Max hollered for help but in vain. Bea and Felix came too when they heard about the commotion but they were outnumbered by the villagers. Just then, out of the blue, SkullMaster appeared in the midst of the crowd and undid his hood. For the first time since he stepped into Fishermen's Friend Village, this was the first time he showed himself in front of everybody.

            "Sk...SkullMaster!" Max exclaimed and broke free from the crowd towards him. "SkullMaster, please, you gotta help me! These people have gone mad!"

            "It's shame, little boy. I really do want to help you, but my hands are tied," SkullMaster replied. "I tried to convince them you're innocent, but they wouldn't listen."

            "You know I'm not cursed, SkullMaster. You know that. You're the one who sent me to that place for you."

            "Hmm..." SkullMaster rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I may be able to clear this little misunderstanding...if..."

            "If what?"

            "If you let your mother marry me."

            "What?! What are you talking about?" Max was surprised and confused.

            "You see, your mother is another price you have to pay for your freedom. My services don't come cheap, you know."

            "Never!"

            "Have it your way then," SkullMaster replied nonchalantly as he stood there and watched Max got dragged away again further and further towards the carriage. He grinned evilly and was about to walk off when Norman exclaimed in the midst.

            "Max has done nothing to anger The Beastess and I can prove it!" Norman shouted and held out the magic mirror The Beastess had given Max before he left. "Show me The Beastess!"

            The mirror flashed and out came an image of The Beastess sitting in the room of her East Wing domain, looking faraway in the distance as another petal fell from the rose. Rusty walked in and stood on the table to face her.

            "Mistress, I know it's hard for you, but please, you have to go down to dinner. You have to eat something."

            The Beastess did not reply.

            "Maybe...well...maybe we could do something. Create some sort of spell or something to bring the little Master back..."

            "No!" The Beastess exclaimed. "You will do no such thing! He has to come back in his own free will! And...And I will wait for him, even if it means I die waiting."

            "How wonderful it would be that the little Master still knows that you love him..."

            The image disappeared, leaving the villagers staring in awe. Norman saw his chance and spoke.

            "You see, people? None of this is Max's fault. He had brought nothing bad to the place. It never was anything to do with Max going to The Beastess's lair or The Beastess putting a curse into this village. It was all because of him! That fiendish SkullMaster! He was the one responsible for all this!"

            Everyone gasped and turned towards SkullMaster who was standing there unperturbed.

            "I should've known there was something fishy about you, SkullMaster...or should I say, Scott?!"

            Now everyone was shocked at seeing the so-called dead Scott standing right in front of them. Even Max was shocked as he breathed the name he hadn't been calling for a long, long time, "Uncle Scott...?"

            "So, you've found me," SkullMaster grinned.

            "I'd recognize those evil yellow eyes of yours now. Took me a while to get it all straight, but I knew it was you all along alright. You tried to gain trust and loyalty in this village and lead it slowly to its doom for your own personal interest! I bet you are the one who killed Blake, aren't you? What's going on through your demented mind, Scott?"

            "Love to stay and chat about your deductions on my plans, but I have an unfinished business to attend to, especially regarding with my future wife!"

            "Mom...?" Max somehow knew what he meant.

            So saying, SkullMaster disappeared in a pillar of smoke, leaving everyone gasping and coughing. By the time the smoke cleared, he was nowhere to be seen. Bea and Felix ran towards Max and Norman.

            "Where could he be now?" Max asked worriedly.

            The sounds of faraway bells from the church sent a flashback zooming past Norman's brain. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the direction of the church, saying, "I think I have the perfect idea where he is."

            Soon, Norman could be seen running towards the church, followed by Max, Bea and Felix.      

A/N: Well? What's gonna happen next? Carry on reading! Oh, and reviews plz!


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: What's gonna happen next? Will Max's happiness stay on forever? Not telling! You have to read to find out!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

The view from the cathedral downtown wasn't so good, judging by the way Fishermen's Friend has become since

Virginia's ailment and the curse rumours. The village was not as lively as before and everyone seemed as they seen better days.

Thor sighed at the sight of the place.

"Oh, this doesn't look good. Everyone's gone mental about a curse that doesn't even exist!" Thor complained. "And we're not even sure if our WarMonger's girlfriend here has even awakened from the coma. I hope he's not feeling too bad today. Speak of the devil."

"Any sign of her, Thor?" WarMonger asked as he approached the ledge to see if Virginia is up and about walking in the village. Thor shook his head. WarMonger sighed in disappointment as he fingered the locket Virginina had given him before she left Fishermen's Friend Village.

"Hey, cheer up, kid. She's gonna be alright. Sooner or later, she'll be up and about and the whole village will know that this curse thing is all hogwash. Nothing to worry about, really."

"I don't know. There's no news about her for such a long time and the village doctor doesn't even know what exactly happened to her and what to do to cure her from her coma. I think maybe the rumours are true; the village really is cursed."

"Do you really believe that, WarMonger?"

WarMonger spun round. He recognized that voice. He knew that voice anywhere. And as expected, he saw Virginia right before his eyes, wearing the exact same clothes she wore when they first met. Her smile was ever so sweet, just he remembered her to be. He ran towards her and gave her a bear hug, feeling so glad to be able to see her again.

"Oh, Virginia! I knew you'd come back to see me!" WarMonger exclaimed happily.

"I'm so glad to see you too, WarMonger, after so long in slumberland," Virginia replied, smiling.

"Are you alright? Are you in tip-top shape now?"

"Well, if I'm not OK, I wouldn't be standing over here now, would I?"

"Oh...yeah...right," WarMonger grinned sheepishly.

"You been a very good friend to me, WarMonger. I really need a favour from you right now."

"Anything. Anything for you, Virginia."

Virginia came closer towards WarMonger and held out her left hand. WarMonger stared at the magnificent ring on her ring finger—the one given by her late husband which she used to wreck Max's secret sea collection. He looked at the ring first, then at Virginia, then back at the ring again, not sure what she meant. Virginia chuckled a little before she continued.

"Sorry, I'm supposed to tell you clearer. I need you to help me take off this ring coz it's pretty much stuck tight here and I can't get it off, so if you please…"

"But…why would you want me to take it off? Can't your butler do it?"

"Well, he's nowhere to be found in the meantime and I really, really need it taken off. Coz...well...I was thinking that maybe you could make a ring for me."

"Me? Make a ring for you?" WarMonger was surprised to hear this.

"Yeah, you know. To make our friendship closer. You do want to be my friend now, don't you?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"Then please, help me," Virginia stood closer, her face really close to WarMonger's. Her deep black eyes were so seductive-looking, WarMonger became seriously drawn to them. He remembered them being a deep set of sea-blue, but then again, who cares? If he wasn't all red, you could see him blushing. "Help me take off this ring so that we can be closer friends.

"Come on. Help me out, OK?"

WarMonger finally gave in. How could he resist her eyes and her words? How could he turn away from her beauty and charm? Unconsciously, his hands reached towards the ring that wrapped snugly around her ring finger. Almost as easy as it was put on, the ring slipped out of the finger with just a gentle pull from his hand. He held it close to his eyes to examine and marvel at the logo on the ring.

"This is so beautiful. It looks kinda familiar though, like something I read out of one of my Master's book. I got scolded because of that, but then again…"

"I think I'll take that."

WarMonger almost had a heart attack when he saw the ever familiar hand of SkullMaster reaching over to take the ring from his hand. Almost instinctively, he went over towards Virginia and shielded her protectively. SkullMaster didn't seem surprised at WarMonger's reaction.

"Uh, uh, Master. Uh, I can explain. She's…She's just a friend. Nothing more. She just came to visit. I'll ask her to leave right now, don't harm her…"

"Calm down, child, calm down," SkullMaster said as he came closer towards them. He reached for Virginia's hand and pulled her gently close to him. She smiled and planted a kiss on his lips. WarMonger gaped and gawked in disbelief at what he just saw. SkullMaster noticed and grinned, "Oh, dear WarMonger. I knew that someday you'll be of use to me."

"No..." WarMonger breathed. "What are you talking about, Master?"

"Why, she led you right into my trap, young boy," SkullMaster grinned maliciously. "You see, the ring that she's wearing has some sort of a magical force. And yet she is not exactly the true heir to this ring, so when she wears this ring, she can't take it off. Only someone with pure of heart and no bad intentions towards this ring can take it off from the person who wears it. And surprisingly, it also has to be someone who is experiencing unrequited love. And, by George, you actually have all these conditions! I cannot believe you actually fell for this woman! My woman!"

"It…It can't be…"

"Do you honestly think that this woman would fall for you? Do you honestly think that any woman would fall for a monster like you? I told you about the cruel world out here, and Virginia would never fall for the likes of you. She is mine, boy, and nothing can change it."

So saying, he snapped his fingers and out came his smoky henchwomen. He waved his hand and immediately, chains were conjured up out of nowhere and wound themselves all over WarMonger's body, forcing him to his knees. The smoky ladies wound in and out around WarMonger and through the holes of the chains, giggling and hissing menacingly at his pathetic self. WarMonger looked up painfully at Virginia for help, but she just looked back at him coldly with those eyes as dark as night. This was when he realized that those weren't her eyes. He remembered those eyes to be sea-blue, not black. He realized that she was under SkullMaster's spell. He didn't know how or exactly why, but he knew she's been bewitched.

"Wake up! Wake up, Virginia! Remember me? It's me, WarMonger, your friend! Your best friend!" WarMonger yelled as he tugged at the chains. "Wake up! You're under a spell, Virginia! Snap out of it!"

"Keep him right here in this bell tower," SkullMaster said before he walked slowly out of WarMonger's domain. "And make sure he stays here."

* * *

Far out into the sea, a huge ship could be seen in the distance, moving eerily towards north-east, following the Evening Star. It was the Dementor, the ship which belonged to the eccentric rich man. Ever since the man commited suicide, SkullMaster had pretty much claimed ownership on everything he used to own. Not that anyone knew about it. If they knew, they'd pretend not to anyway—the rich man's eccentric and weird attitude was legend.

He had to get to the castle quick. He could tell that time was running out on him. He had to hurry before Max caught up with him and foil his plans. It was enough that Blake had failed his plans and his dreams in the olden days and Max almost succeeding in kissing Princess Phoebe, and he wasn't going to let himself fall again this time. He had his dream love Virginia with him and the influence of Fishermen's Friend Village in his grasp and all he needed now is the throne from the King of the West. The throne was his and his to keep, and there is no way he was going to forsake it.

"Where are we going, my love?" Virginia, seated near the dock, asked.

"We're going to claim our rightful place on the throne, my sweet," SkullMaster replied. "And I shall make you my Queen."

"And together we would rule the world, won't we?"

"Yes, together we will," SkullMaster replied as he kissed Virginia deeply.

Feels so good to be in control.

* * *

As Norman, Max, Bea and Felix ran towards the chapel, Thor was trying to break through the chains that held WarMonger in his place. The smoky henchwomen just giggled menacingly at Thor's vain effort, winding themselves in and out of the chain holes and mocked at the iguana. Thor ignored their mockery and continued to bite and chew the chains.

WarMonger did nothing to stop him. He just let the rock iguana do whatever he was doing, brooding over his own loss. The laughter of the smoky henchwomen made his heart even heavier with guilt and grief. His obsession and crush for Virginia had brought her into trouble. She was under the spell of SkullMaster and yet he couldn't do anything to stop her. He felt as if he had failed her. It's like she was there, the old Virginia standing right there before him hidden behind an invisible force field begging to be released from her captivity, yet he had done nothing to help her. He had failed her. His best friend, his crush, his love…

He felt like throwing himself off the bell tower and rid himself of his stupidity. How could he lead himself to believe that Virginia would even consider liking him more than a friend? How could he let himself believe a pretty lady like her would fall for a monster like him? Even the henchwomen are laughing at his for his monstrosity. His face and looks were no different than the Demon himself.

SkullMaster was right.

He _is_ a monster.

"Come on, WarMonger, snap out of it!" Thor urged as he tried to bite through the chains.

"It's all my fault," WarMonger muttered weakly. "I've failed her...I should've saved her but...I disappointed her..."

"You gotta break these chains!"

"It's no use. I've tried...What difference does it make?"

"So, you've given up? That's it? You're stronger than this, boy! You've tolled bells heavier than these chains, what makes you think that you can break free from them?"

WarMonger remained silent, looking away as the smokey henchwomen continued to mock and giggle menacingly at the two bickering people before them. Thor narrowed his eyes in comprehension and went up close to WarMonger.

"These chains are not the ones that are holding you back now, are they?"

"Leave me alone!"

Thor was taken aback. WarMonger hadn't expected Thor's words hit him rock bottom. But then again, he had been friends with him since he was 5 years old; that old iguana should know by now what true feelings lay behind that devilish face of his. But nothing mattered now. He was a failure and need nothing but self-pity. Thor sighed and moved aside.

"OK, kiddo. I'll leave you alone. After all, I'm only made of stone," Thor crawled towards the ledge of the tower. Before turning into stone, he looked sideways at him and said, "I just thought you were made of something stronger."

WarMonger stared sadly at Thor who had turned to stone, ignoring him completely. He was alone now. All alone to fend for himself. All alone up in the tower just as he had always felt ever since he could remember. Without friends, without Virginia, without SkullMaster...

_'I just thought you were made of something stronger...'_

Slowly, as Thor's words rang in his ears, his loneliness began to dissolve. Yes, he had been strong. He was trained to be strong. Ever since he came to this tower, he was given the fact that to toll those heavy bells, he had to be strong. With the absence of his real parents who had left him for how he looked like, he had taught himself not to cry over the loss and be strong, to show that he could survive without their help and to show that he could lead a good life, maybe even better on his own. In fact, most of the time, his loneliness had taught him the hard lesson about the strength of the body...and the heart.

He couldn't believe that all this while, he had been used by his Master for his own benefit. He knew that his Master was an all-seeing man, since he knew most of the ins and outs of the village and he can tell that he knew he had a crush on Virginia. He knew that he liked Virginia, and yet he took her away from him. He let her come to him so that he could play with his emotions. He had used her like a puppet for his own purposes. He could tell that the ring held great powers and SkullMaster wanted it all to himself. He felt so betrayed. The Master he had looked up as a father-figure and a pillar to lean on was an illusion. The Master standing before him was a power-hungry man who cared nothing about him. He never loved him as his own son. He never loved him at all. To him, he was still a monster, and nothing else.

_"Do you honestly think that this woman would fall for you? ...She is mine, boy, and nothing can change it."_

"NO!"

WarMonger let out a scream of anger and betrayal and finally stood up. He pulled at the chains that held him—those flimsy chains that meant nothing to him. Forcefully, he tried to break through the chains that held his ground. Rubble and debri began to fall from the ceiling and poles tore as he pulled and tugged at the loud clinking chains and dust began to fly all around as huge rocks and wood crashed unceremoniously to the ground. The smoky henchwomen tried to stop him but Thor got out of his stone stance and began jumping at them, nipping at them with his strong rocky jaws. He had to break through the chains. He had to get out of here and save Virginia from SkullMaster's clutches and from her own demise. He had to stop SkullMaster from doing whatever ill will he plans to bestow upon the village he had loved so much.

Most importantly, he had to break the chains that held his heart captive. The invisible, evil chains created by the lies and deceit of SkullMaster.

"Now that's the spirit!" Thor exclaimed gladly as he tried to stomp off the remaining entities of the smoky henchwomen. "Come on! Let's get out of this joint and stop that ugly bonehead!"

WarMonger nodded and grabbed a rope that he had kept stashed in his worn-out cupboard. He lassoed and threw it at a nearby gargoyle statuette and swung down with his usual agility (almost like Spiderman, don't you think?) towards the ground 20 feet below. He landed coincidentally in front of Norman and the gang as they were about to approach the chapel door. They were all taken aback by his sudden appearance, especially Max who had met him for the first time. But WarMonger wasn't in a mood for introductions.

"I know where he's going."

A/N: Yay! Let the fun begin! Cheer along as I continue the next chappies. Reviews plz!


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Let's get on with the insanity of this adventure and help Max save the world from the clutches of SkullMaster! Go, Max, go! XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

Norman and the gang were on a boat in the middle of the sea following the Evening Star as Max navigated with his compass. WarMonger broke it to the gang that he had an idea of SkullMaster moving towards The Beastess's lair. Before they left, the kind archdeacon appeared carrying a huge worn-out bag for them. When he opened it, out poured dozens of weapons and gadgets from the bag. Everyone gaped in awe at them, including WarMonger who had known the archdeacon to be no more than a peacemaker and a fine servant of the Lord.

"These weapons used to belong to the ancestors of this village, mine included," the archdeacon explained as the gang marveled at the weapons before them. "Before it was as peaceful as today, it was known to be one of the places that harboured strong, mighty soldiers into battle. After the war, the descendants decided that the bloodshed was too much of a sad reminder and decided to separate themselves from any violent matters happening in this world, thus created Fishermen's Friend Village. These weapons were kept in the deep cellars of our church, the place people least likely to find anything lethal and now, it's time for these weapons to be put to use again, for the good of the village and its future."

"Father, I..." WarMonger didn't know what else to say. He felt in debt for the archdeacon who had regarded him a son and a friend more than any other, perhaps even more than SkullMaster.

"Go now, my child, and use these weapons well. May God bless you, my little angel in disguise."

The gang made their choice of weapons and made a dash towards the jetty, borrowing a boat from a fellow fisherman and went off their way. Norman paddled as fast as he could. He had to get The Beastess's lair as soon as possible to stop SkullMaster. He had done a lot of damage to Fishermen's Friend Village and it's time they decided that enough is enough.

Secretly though, Norman wanted to get there fast to save Virginia.

"So, uh, you know my mother?" Max asked WarMonger after a brief introduction to each other. WarMonger nodded.

"She's the only one who regarded me as a human being and a true friend. I would do anything for her, even if it means going to the ends of the earth for her. My Master had played with both her and my emotions and I'm going to stop him before he does anymore damages."

"You realize though," Max lowered his voice, "that my pal Norman there has a crush with my mom."

WarMonger took a look at Norman's determined face as he picked up his rowing pace and sighed, "I know. I assumed that he was her boyfriend the first time we've met. There's no surprise they'll end up as a real couple. I'm content in being just her best friend. I wouldn't ask for more."

Suddenly, a few feet ahead of them, the sea bubbled and churned. Everyone held their breaths and grabbed their weapons. Is it one of SkullMaster's evil magic to keep them at bay? Could he have sent some of his minions to capsize them and attack? As they braced themselves for the worse, a few forms began to emerge and lo and behold! It was ours truly King Benedict a.k.a. Blake and his royal family!

Norman was stunned. Bea and Felix gaped. Max was speechless. After so many long years, Blake had finally returned with a new form. After being lost and presumed dead, here he was, in the flesh and alive and well. A long silence hung as everyone tried to take in whatever was before. Only WarMonger and Thor were puzzled at what was going on.

"Blake..." Norman breathed his words in wonder.

"Hello, Norman," Blake smiled, his body shimmered a little. Obviously, he had used his trident to create a protective layer on their bodies against the ray of the moonlight. "It's been years, don't you think?"

"I...I knew it was you. I knew it was you all along. I just didn't dare to believe it..."

"Oh God..." Bea's eyes began to well up. "It's Mr. Deanhart! I can't believe it...After all this while..."

"Dad...?" Max finally found his voice.

"My son," Blake turned towards his son that he hadn't seen ever since he decided to remarry. "I missed you so much."

"Dad, I...how...? Why...?" Max didn't know where to start asking. The questions burned intensely inside him but he didn't know which one to let out. How did he disappear? Why did he leave? Why hadn't he ever come back? Why didn't he return to his mother? How could he leave his mother and marry someone else, let alone have a child with her? As Queen Fridorithia gave him a few last concerned words, Max's heart ached at the loving sight. How he wished it was his mother and not the Queen who was talking to him. He wouldn't have to go through all that hell about his mother's prejudice with the sea and his deal with SkullMaster.

"Son, I know there's been a lot going on since I've left and I know there's a lot of explaining to do," Blake said as comforting to his son as he could. "I promise it'll all be cleared. But first we have to go stop SkullMaster. I received information from your friend that there had been a disturbance on the surface and I believe it has something to do with my half-brother Scott. I'm joining your fight."

"And so am I," Drakeb appeared from behind Pablio. Max looked at him a little grudgingly and Drakeb smirked, "Just a little service I'm offering to make up for your loss."

Phoebe, who had followed along to see Blake off, blushed a little out of shyness and guilt. She still feel a little peeved after the rejection she made and dare not face Max. Bea caught sight of Phoebe and understood what all this disappearance of Max and the goings-on in the village was all about. She couldn't help feeling a small tinge of jealousy but dare not to reveal it. Max stared at Phoebe for a while, before letting a sigh.

"It's alright, Phoebe. I've got it all thought out. Being your half-brother doesn't sound so bad. At least my little sister is prettier than the others I know."

Everyone chuckled and the atmosphere grew less tense. With that, Blake held up the trident aimed it at both himself and Drakeb. Like Max when he transformed back to human, their tails began to disintegrate, the scales began to peel and a line ran through the middle of their tails, separating into four pairs of legs. Phoebe and the Queen draped cloaks over their husbands' bare body and the gang helped them up the boat. As soon as they were on, Max quickly gave his father a bear hug. He didn't need his father's explanation anymore. He had his own reasons and his own choices to make, and he respected that. He had chose his own love life and didn't seem to regret it, just like Max chose his own love life and destiny, and he knew he had no place to question it.

Like father, like son.

Still, Blake had some explaining to do for those who didn't know of his fate. So as they bid goodbye to the rest of the royal mermaid family and continued their journey towards The Beastess's lair, Blake began his side of the story all over again, telling it to Bea, Felix and WarMonger with Max nuzzling lovingly in his embrace.

"I knew it! I knew it was foolish to get our hopes up!"

"Maybe it would've been better if he had never come at all."

The animated object servants were at the hallway bickering among themselves, still peeved about the fact that Max had walked out of their lives and that their Mistress had actually _allowed_ Max to walk out of her. They really truly believed that Max being in their lives would change and turn their Mistress, including themselves, back to the way they were. Yet it was all but a dream. Max have left, and the Mistress was back to Square One, back to the olden days where they had to painstakingly endure her tempers and move around the castle in however movement their current bodies allowed them, although their Mistress didn't seem to care about whatever is going on around and prefers to muse over her misfortune in the East Wing. They couldn't help feeling disappointed.

Suddenly, the footrest dog lit up and barked. He hurried all the way towards the window and barked excitedly. Hope began to rise once more in the animated objects' hearts.

"Could it be...?" Rusty said as she made a dash towards the window, followed by the rest of the animated objects.

"Is it he?" Normie, the last one to approach the window, asked.

Who they saw was not the Max they were waiting for. Who they saw was a bulky man dressed in purple attire together with a woman with the exact hair colour of Max, like a female version of him. He had an evil, dark aura about him and behind him trailed a long line of spooky-looking smoke entities, moaning and groaning as they followed behind him. The huge gate was torn to pieces, lying helplessly on the ground and the wolves, as if under his spell, moved from the woods towards the castle, following the purple attired man's trail. This didn't look good.

"Omigosh!" Rusty exclaimed. "Invaders!"

"Intruders!" Virgil exclaimed as well.

"And...And he has the rose and the ring!" Normie breathed the words. Her eyesight was not to be taken lightly.

"He can't be the heir! That's not the heir we're expected to receive! Just look at him!" Rusty's broom boyfriend went into denial. "The ring is not even glowing and the rose isn't suppose to do that to the gate, is it?"

"Warn the Mistress!" Virgil ordered. "If it is a fight they want, get ready the moves with me!"

Meanwhile, SkullMaster and Virginia were standing before the huge front door of the castle. He marveled at the sight and imagined himself sitting on the throne of this huge castle ruling all over the world from here. And best of all, he had his love to rule alongside with him as he holds the world in his grasp. He held the rose towards the door but it didn't move. Obviously, the same thing happened at the gate. He had expected that to happen because he wasn't the true heir, but he had to make up a show to get Virginia's trust. The effects of the black love potion he fed her wasn't very strong (in the rule of magic, love potions are actually forbidden and never has enough lasting effect) and he had to constantly shower Virginia with his promises so that the potion will hold on until he gets the throne. After that, he'll have to figure out a better, stronger love potion for her.

"The door is not responding, love," Virginia said as she stared at the unmoving door.

"The keeper here must've put another binding spell on it to keep me out," SkullMaster made an excuse. "Obviously she wants the throne all to herself. I'll show her."

With a signal of his hand, the smoky henchmen and women began ramming at the door. Even the wolves that he had enchanted suddenly developed some superhuman strength and began to ram the door as well. Inside, the animated objects tried to hold the door back. Normie went up to the East Wing to warn The Beastess.

"Pardon me, Mistress..."

"Leave me in peace," The Beastess cut her words short. Surprisingly, she didn't fall into one of her temper tantrums.

"But, miss, the castle is under attack! What shall we do, Mistress?"

"It doesn't matter," The Beastess sighed, caressing the bell-jar that held the rose. "Just let them come."

Meanwhile, as the ramming continued, the animated objects put their backs in keeping them out.

"This isn't working!" Rusty exclaimed.

"You tell me! It's like they're using a cave troll or something!" the wardrobe groaned as another ram hit the door.

"Oh, Rusty! We gotta do something!" Rusty's boyfriend pleaded as he tried to put more pressure on the door.

"Wait! I think I know what to do!" Rusty said as she got off the crowd. "Spread out, guys! I got an idea!"

"Wow."

Blake has finally finished his tale, and they were slowly closing in towards the island. Bea and Felix stared in awe. They've heard tales of The Beastess but never expected it to be true, or the island to exist for the matter of fact. As they got off the boat and wade through the thick forest, they braced themselves for any incoming wolves. Max sure didn't want to become the wolves' dinner again. While they waded on, Max remembered something his father said.

"Dad. You said something about my friend telling you about the goings-on in our village. Who is it?"

"Yeah, dude. Who could it be?" Felix asked, equally curious. "We sure weren't suicidal to be going down to the sea, not like you, Max."

"Well, I owe it to this friend," Blake replied as he fished out something from his pouch. Max beamed in delight as he saw that it was Normie's son, the coffee cup Junior!

"Junior! I didn't think I'd see you again! How did you get here?" Max exclaimed as he picked him up in amazement. Bea and Felix stared in disbelief.

"I've followed you ever since you left the castle, Max. And I've got a real good glimpse of the outside world while you were gone out to sea. When I saw you come back with a few merpeople with you, I figured out that the mermaid was the reason you left, and then I saw that really evil man come into the house and kissed your mother with some weird drink and they just took off. I had to tell someone. I knew I had to look for the mermaid princess. She's the only one who might offer you some help."

"He was almost drowning when we found him, or should I say when Phoebe's pet dolphin Reynard found him" Blake continued. "And when I formed a protective bubble over him for him to breath, he told me everything."

"Hah! A stowaway, huh? You should try working in a spy agency," Max grinned in admiration as he let Junior ride on his cap.

"Did you say that Scott fed Virginia with a weird drink?" Norman asked. Junior nodded.

"Master must've fed her with some love potion," WarMonger commented, remembering the black eyes he saw in Virginia. "I've seen him making some and selling it to a blacksmith's apprentice once. She fell under his spell almost immediately but soon died a few days later because there was something in the potion she was allergic to. Poor boy."

"Max, why did you go away?" Junior asked in his cute voice. "Don't you like us anymore? Don't you love the Mistress?"

"Well, of course I like you, and I like your Mistress," Max explained. "It's just that..."

"We're here."

Everyone stopped in their tracks as they saw themselves standing a few feet away from the broken gates of The Beastess's castle.

A/N: Finally, the war is about to start! Reviews plz!


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: What fate lies before Max and the gang and also SkullMaster? Read on, babe!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

The door of the castle finally broke open. SkullMaster and Virginia stared at the darkness before them and were quite apprehensive. Everything was quiet. Too quiet. They can't be too careful.

"Stay beside me, love," SkullMaster brought Virginia close to him and grabbed a nearby candelabra. He had no idea that he had actually grabbed Rusty who had been waiting there for him to take her. As soon as she felt his grasp on her body, she let out a loud shout:

"NOW!"

Within seconds, SkullMaster and Virginia found themselves surrounded by animated objects of all kinds—wardrobes, chest trunks, clothes hanger, tables, chairs, you name it. All of them were alive and seemed pretty threatening. SkullMaster noticed Rusty in his hand and flung her onto the solid ground. Her boyfriend caught her just in time and regained composure almost immediately.

"Ah, the legendary cursed servants of The Beastess," SkullMaster grinned, unperturbed by the angry looks on the animated objects' faces. "I've heard of you. Take me to your Mistress. I am here to receive my dues."

"What proof do you have that you are the true heir of the King of the West?" Virgil demanded.

"This is the proof," SkullMaster brandished the ring on his hand and the rose. "I have the ring and the rose. Now take me to your Mistress so that I can take whatever is rightfully mine."

"How do we know that you didn't steal from the real heir? You could be just someone who's power-hungry enough to kill for the ring and the rose!"

"Enough! I'm tired of this childish bickering! If you won't let me meet your Mistress, then I shall have to go to her myself! Step aside!"

"Not without a fight," Rusty said as she braced herself, followed by the rest of the animated objects.

"Very well," SkullMaster said as he clicked his fingers. "As you wish."

Without warning, the smoky entities doubled, no, tripled their amount and started charging towards the animated objects. The fight began. Butt-kicking and face-punching ensured. The wolves also charged in and attacked them, breaking them to pieces with their sharp claws and fangs. And while the battle continued, SkullMaster and Virginia slipped up to the stairs and went towards the East Wing where The Beastess was.

Max could hear the loud commotion inside. They looked at each other and nodded, then made a dash into the castle. They were shocked and horrified to see SkullMaster's henchmen and women and the wolves from the forest wrecking the hell out of the animated objects. With a loud yell, Max brought up his sword and started hacking at the wolves. The rest of the gang joined in—Bea with her axe, Felix with his sledgehammer, Norman with his huge bulky sword, WarMonger with his dagger and his iguana friend Thor, Drakeb with his bow and arrows and Blake with his trident. A hectic battle started as swishes, bangs and blasts could be heard. The surviving animated objects helped out and soon, the enemies were taken down. Rusty leapt onto Max and hugged his neck.

"Little Master! I knew you would come back!"

"Glad to see you too, Rusty," Max replied as he set her down. "Where's SkullMaster?"

"You mean that ugly purple bonehead?" Virgil asked grudgingly. "That fiend just barged in claiming that he was the heir to the King of the West and is probably harassing our poor Mistress to hand in the throne!"

"The Beastess!" Max exclaimed and made a dash towards the East Wing. The rest followed suite, picking up the animated objects that were too battered to move in their hands.

"The King of the West?" Norman asked. "That kinda sounds familiar. What's it about?"

"Let me explain..." Virgil said as he started the legend of the King of the West while they made their way to the East Wing.

"The Beastess?"

The Beastess turned around. The first thing she noticed was Virginia. She looked so different in the attire SkullMaster had gotten her. She was still her old self, with the exact blonde hair his love Max had inherited. The sight of her reminded her of that fateful day Max decided to trade himself for her freedom and the day that started to change her life. But there was something different about her eyes. So trance-like, so dark and black...What was wrong with her? Had she been put under a spell or some sort? She only stopped looking when SkullMaster had approached her.

"The Beastess, I presume?"

"It is I. Who wants to know?" The Beastess replied, towering over him. SkullMaster smiled; he was unperturbed by her size and menacing copper-brown eyes.

"You don't seem to be as tough as the legend said. Now, please lead me to my throne."

"Your throne? On what grounds?"

"On the account that I have the ring and the rose."

So saying, he showed the ring and the rose to her. The Beastess was slightly taken aback. This was the true heir of the King of the West? This was the heir that she had waited for so long? This was the heir whose castle she had guarded for such a long time? This was the heir that had caused her to endure this damned curse for almost more than 10 years? She was expecting someone who would look decent but this was ridiculous. But he had the ring and rose and he had come all the way to this castle. He has to be the heir. The Beastess heaved a sigh.

"Very well. Come with me."

The Beastess walked out of the East Wing and led them down the hallway where there were more gargoyles and disfigured statues around. She came to a dead end and looked around, as if looking for some hidden switch or something. She soon found it hidden behind one of the tattered paintings and pulled the lever. A secret door opened on the wall and a flight of stairs lowered itself towards the floor. She continued to lead them up the stairs to higher ground. She stopped at a dark room that had no door. She lit a candle at the side of the opening and almost automatically the rest of the candles in the room lit brightly. It wasn't a room, but a huge hall decorated magnificently with jewels and precious stones. There were paintings of portraits of all the past Kings of the West and an empty frame at the end of the line of paintings where portrait of the true heir would be. The floor was made of marble and the ceilings were covered with paintings of the great deeds done by the great Kings of the past, including a few mythical creatures added here and there to support the legend. At the end of the hall were the thrones of the King and Queen of the West. SkullMaster beamed at the magnificent sight before him.

"Here is your throne, Your Majesty. There is another room next door where you have to lay the rose on the altar to break the seal of the castle and return it to its original glory. Your rule will start from there."

The Beastess stepped aside as soon as they reached the end of the hall. SkullMaster's hand trembled slightly as he touched the handrest of the throne. There it wasa, right in front of him, ready for him to be claimed. He had worked so hard for this. He had finally gotten what he deserved. Finally, the throne of the King of the West was his! He settled down on the throne and savoured the feeling of the soft cushion. Virginia joined him at her throne, smiling as she lay her hand on his, congratulating him for his success.

"Welcome home, Your Majesty. May you rule the world fairly and wisely. My work here is done."

"Yes, of course," SkullMaster said as he stared at the ring. "And my first command...is to let you be annihilated."

The Beastess was taken aback. After all she had done, the King was going to kill her? How could he? She had guarded this castle for so long and waited patiently for him to return and this is how he repay her? This is not what the King of the West would do! This wasn't the King! This wasn't the true heir! She was going to die by the hands of a power-hungry tyrant...

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

The Beastess, SkullMaster and Virginia turned to see Max standing at the entrance of the hall. The Beastess's heart skipped a beat at upon seeing him.

"M...Max..."

"Don't do this, SkullMaster!" Max yelled. "Enough is enough...Uncle Scott."

"Ah, you finally recognized me as your uncle now, eh, sonny boy?" SkullMaster sneered as he got up. "I'm rather surprised to see you alive. And I was wondering when are you gonna figure it out."

"Scott, you have done enough damage," Norman said. "And it's time to face your past."

So saying, Blake made himself seen. SkullMaster was slightly taken aback.

"Blake...No...You're dead..."

"I'm very much alive, Scott, thank you very much," Blake replied. "When are you gonna let bygones be bygones, Scott? It's not that I wanted to be the favourite son. You gonna have to live with the fact that everything that had happened is fate."

"Oh really? Is that what you think? Is that what Mother and Father think? Face it, Blake! Mother and Father never liked me! I have always been the black sheep of the family! Even my real father didn't want to bring me along when he left Mother. As soon as you were born, Mother forgotten all about me. Father never treated me as his own son. Everyone liked you! Everyone loved you! It's time someone liked me instead, like your pretty little ex-wife here, whom you stole from me!"

"Is that why you killed Blake? Is that why you tried to throw him overboard?" Norman asked grudgingly.

"What?" Max and Blake were shocked at this news. Blake has yet to remember that part—the trauma was too much.

"Now where have I seen that face before? Hmm..." SkullMaster pretended to think back, then grinned at Max. "Oh yes, I remember. This is just the way your father looked before he died."

SkullMaster raised the ring to him and it glowed. Max felt a pull at his navel and found himself being dragged by some unseen force towards SkullMaster. He caught him by the throat and said, "And here's my little secret: _I killed Blake Deanhart!_"

The memory struck Blake right in his brain. The incident on the boat, the night the storm hit their ship, the sight of Scott standing before him with his cold yellow eyes...It all began to come back to him.

_"Scott! Why aren't you on the boat! I thought you've gotten on!"_

Those eyes. Those cold eyes that continued to stare at him.

_ "Scott, please! Brother, help me up! Norman will come get us! Help me up!"_

The smile of evil on Scott's face as he finally reached over and grabbed his wrists. The malice as he leaned closer to him and hissed those mysterious words.

_"Long live the King!"_

Scott's hands letting him go...The impact of the sea water as he plummeted further towards his doom...The huge wave that carried him away...The feeling of the sea filling his lungs and the pressure ready to crush his body...Then the blast from the trident as Queen Fridorithia tried to save him...

Blake fell onto his knees as he remembered the cruel deed done to him. His brother...His half-brother whom he loved so much despite his cynical remarks and cold attitude had actually killed him. He finally understood what those last words he hissed to him meant. He was meant for the throne and Scott was jealous. He wanted it all to himself, just like the way he wanted the things he used to have when they were young. He was willing to offer half of his share but Scott didn't want half. He wanted all of it. He was nothing but an unfortunate target of his plans to take whatever was his, including Virginia. He looked up venomously at SkullMaster and hissed in hatred, "How could you, Scott...? You're my brother...! I loved you like my own brother...and yet...you..."

"You remember now, don't you?" SkullMaster smirked. "I wasn't lucky though. When you fell, I fell as well. I almost died if it weren't for an old Wiseman who took me in and nursed me back to health. He saw me as Wiseman material and taught me everything he knew before he died. He was getting older by the minute and I kinda did him a 'favour', God bless his soul."

"You...You monster!" Max tried to grab SkullMaster in vain. "You murderer! You tried to kill my father, and now you're taking my mother against her will! I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill you!"

"Save you breath, boy!" SkullMaster yelled as he threw Max back to his group. "No one can defeat me! No one ever will! It's about time I end this! Minions, attack!"

As soon as he said the word, his ring somehow summoned more smoky henchmen and women to attack them. Even the wolves came back to life in their battered, bloody form from behind and attacked. The battle started all over again, but this time the battle was more brutal than before. Everyone had an injury inflicted on them. Even Norman and Blake, who used to be the best fighter back in the shipping years, were hurt as well.

"Just like old times, eh, Captain Blake?" Norman asked, grinning.

"Just like old times," Blake replied.

"Max, look out!"

Max turned around to see Bea blocking him and a loud slash was heard. He didn't see the incoming wolf that crept from behind him and tried to kill him. Bea saw it and immediately rushed towards him, taking the blow onto herself. Felix quickly came to their aid and bashed the wolf with his sledgehammer.

"Bea...why...?" Max asked as he held Bea in his embrace.

"Because...Because I...I love you..." Bea finally admitted the words she longed to say to him ever since she laid eyes on him for the first time. "I suppose...it's too late to say this but...I had a crush on you...since..."

"No, don't speak! You're hurt real bad!"

"I...had a crush on you...since the first time...I saw you in...school...I wished almost everyday that...you would court me...and take me as your...wife...but it's just wishful thinking...I'm not fit for you...I'm just a carpenter's daughter...I..."

"It's true, Max," Felix confirmed her words. "She had been in love with you since first grade. She begged me to keep it a secret. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

"I...I love you...Max...forever..."

Bea soon slumped into his arms, her eyes closed forever. Max was horrified. He began to remember and comprehend everything that Bea had done for him throughout his childhood. All those cover-ups, all those excuses she made for him to keep his Mom from finding out about his sea escapades...it was all for him. Tears began to well up in his blue eyes. All this while, there was someone who love him and yet he was oblivious to the fact. Instead, he went off to chase an unreachable dream. He went off to pursue someone that was never meant for him, and yet his happiness is just right there, screaming at his face. How dumb could he get? He cried as he held Bea close to his chest.

"It's alright, son. She only fainted."

"What...?" Max looked up with his tear-filled eyes as Blake held up his trident to her slash wounds.

"The impact of the wolf's claws was too much for her to bear. She only fainted. I'm going to heal her wounds. Don't worry, she's fine. Just let her sleep."

Max sighed in relief. Bea was alive. She's alive, not dead. Max planted a kiss on her forehead. Once she wakes up, he promised that he would make it up to her properly.

"Dudes," Felix broke the ice. "Where's that boney-faced guy?"

SkullMaster took Virginia's hand and ran towards the room The Beastess had mentioned. It was empty and bare, save the altar and the stained glass window at the end of the room. SkullMaster smiled to himself and turned towards his blushing bride.

"As soon as this rose opens the seal of this castle, you will officially be my bride and my Queen."

"I would love that, my love," Virginia smiled and watched as SkullMaster tentatively laid the rose on the altar.

"NO!"

Before the rose even hit the base of the altar, SkullMaster was pounced on by WarMonger. Somehow, he noticed that his master was trying to get away and followed him. He saw him trying to put the rose on the altar and he knew that it would spell disaster. He drew out his dagger and breathed heavily as he tried to pick up the courage to stab the Master that he had looked up as a father-figure for so long.

"Let my husband go, you filth!" Virginia tried to pull him away from SkullMaster, but WarMonger's body was no match for her.

"Forgive me," WarMonger muttered apologetically and aimed his fist at her abdomen. Virginia choked in her breath and began to puke. She doubled over and hurled out everything that was inside her gut.

"Look, WarMonger..." SkullMaster tried to inch his way from the anger-filled red boy. "Sonny boy, listen to me..."

"No! You listen! All my life I was told that the world is a dark cruel place! But now the only thing I see that is dark and cruel is people like you! I trusted you! You were like a father to me! You told me that no one would ever love a monster like me, but Virginia treated me just like any other human being! You're the monster here, SkullMaster! The only thing that is deformed and ugly is you and your black heart!"

"W...WarMonger...?"

WarMonger spun round. Virginia rubbed her temples and looked up, and the first thing she saw was WarMonger's red body. Somehow, that blow had forced her to vomit the love potion she drank and her mind was finally cleared. Her eyes were back the way they were—the dark sea-blue WarMonger had come to love so much.

"Virginia! You're alright!" WarMonger ran towards her and helped her up. SkullMaster's eyes narrowed in contempt and held out the ring, aiming at them.

"She remembers..."

"No!"

WarMonger quickly picked Virginia in his arms and made a dash towards the stained glass window. He crashed through and found himself on the huge long balcony that led all the way up to the highest roof of the castle. Telling Virginia to hold on tight, he made a dash and jumped off the ledge, holding one of the gargoyles' head and hiding from view. He could hear SkullMaster walking around looking for them. By then, the thunder began to roll and rain was starting to fall.

"Leaving so soon?"

WarMonger and Virginia were caught off guard. Before WarMonger tried to move towards a nearby window that led to one of the rooms in the East Wing, SkullMaster had already discovered them. With his strong arms, he moved quickly towards the end of the balcony, avoiding the blasts from SkullMaster's ring. WarMonger settled Virginia onto the balcony floor and braced himself with his dagger.

"I knew you would risk your to save my blushing bride," SkullMaster hissed. "Just like your mother died trying to save you."

"What?" What was SkullMaster talking about? His mother died? Trying to save him? Before he was able to comprehend what he was saying, SkullMaster blasted the place he was standing and he lost his footing. He quickly grabbed the ledge and stared in horror as SkullMaster towered over him, glaring at him evilly with his yellow eyes. Virginia tried to stop him but he used the magic of the ring to hold her in place. He turned back to WarMonger and aimed the ring at his face.

"And now I'm going to do what I should've done _16 years ago_!"

A/N: Oh no! Oh no! Is WarMonger gonna die? You better read to find out! 00 Reviews plz!


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Is WarMonger gonna suffer the same fate his mother had: dying in the arms of her killer? You gotta read to find out! I'm ain't telling a soul!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

The blast didn't make it to WarMonger's face. He felt something warm on his face and realized that it was blood. He looked up and saw that it was The Beastess growling angrily at SkullMaster with both her bleeding hands on the hand which had the ring. Her copper-brown eyes glowed as she glared with her heart full of hatred at the man whom she thought was the rightful heir of the throne of the King of the West, the man who tried to kill her.

While SkullMaster and The Beastess struggled with each other, Norman and Virginia rushed over to help WarMonger up the balcony. That's where WarMonger had a good glimpse of The Beastess. The red flaming hair, the scaly skin, the towering height and forceful strength...yet those eyes filled with a sort of emotion that only he knew. The emotion of someone who lived a life as lonely as he was. The emotion of someone who had loved and lost somebody, just like he did when he had the crush on Virginia. The emotion of someone who would go to the ends of the earth for that person she loves, even if it means having to face and endure that unrequited love all alone, just like he was.

They both share the same emotion—loneliness and heartbreak.

"Is she the Keeper of this castle?" WarMonger asked as soon as he was on the solid floor of the balcony.

"Looks like it," Norman replied as he stared at the two towering mountains fighting each other.

"Can anybody tell me what's going on here?" Virginia, who finally had her head clear out of the excitement. "What are you guys doing here? What am _I_ doing here?"

"We'll explain later. We gotta check out the others."

"The others?"

As Norman led WarMonger and Virginia inside the castle, SkullMaster and The Beastess continued fighting with each other. The rain beat mercilessly on their bodies and the roof and thunder rolled. The lightning flashed badly, threatening to hit them into oblivion. They fought they've never fought before. They have fought really bad battles, like SkullMaster fighting alongside with the crew when the pirates decided to raid their ship and The Beastess fighting for Max to save him from the wolves, but this was different. This was a hectic battle as they fought for their own reasons: SkullMaster to fight for the throne and The Beastess to fight for the wellbeing of the castle. She knew that if this skull-faced monster gets control of the world, everything she had guarded for would be gone and everyone would suffer, including her beloved Max.

She had to save him from this evil man. She had to.She had pledged herself to be his loyal guardian and his faithful friend. And she was going to fulfil that pledge.

Even if it means dying for him.

"Give it up, Red Girl!" SkullMaster growled as he aimed a punch on her face. "The throne is mine!"

"Never! I will never let the throne go to the likes of you!" The Beastess aimed a sock on his gut.

"You think? I'm the rightful heir of the throne and I suggest that you let it to me before I make you wish that you're never born!"

"You're not the heir! You're never the heir! I can see it in your eyes. The eyes are the window of a person's soul, and I can see that your soul is as black as your heart!"

"When I'm through with you, I'm gonna be out there ruling the world, and I'm gonna be out there taking control of everything! Everything will be under my grasp, their lives, their fates, their destinies, everything! Including your darling little master _Maxwell Deanhart_!"

The Beastess was shocked. She had used the windows of the soul, not knowing that she had exposed her window of soul to him. Her shame of being discovered slowly boiled into anger. With a burst of energy, she grabbed his throat and held him off the roof, threatening to drop him down the hard ground below.

"Come on! Drop me! Drop me down and see if you can live with it!" SkullMaster challenged. "Drop me now and return to your bestial ways! How would you like that? What a release, eh?"

The Beastess glared hard at SkullMaster. Slowly, his words began to eat through her. She began to remember the days she had with Max. Max had been tolerating her mad tantrums and savage ways ever since he appeared in her life. He taught her how to read, how to use her cutlery properly, how to dress, how to live life and how to have fun. He had taught her everything her parents never tried to teach her. Her parents were harsh and cruel and never gave her what she wanted. They told her life was a cold, cruel reality and nobody loved her. She was abandoned when she was 5 and she had been in the streets since, protecting herself against the harms of the world with her temper and her violence. No one bothered to civilize her. No one bother to care about her.

No one but Maxwell Deanhart.

She realized that if she were to let go of SkullMaster to his death, she would be no different than the person she was before. Everything Max had done for her would go up in smoke, gone with the rain. She would not be worthy of Max. She would not be able to face him if she had done this despicable crime.

She had to let him go.

She backed away, still holding SkullMaster's throat. She lowered him onto the ground and stared right at the face of a surprised SkullMaster. Before throwing him onto the ground, she only said one thing.

"Get out."

"Beastess!"

The Beastess spun round and saw Max standing at the balcony of one of the castle's towers, holding out his hand to her. She quickly went up to him as fast as her arms and legs could carry her as she made her way up on the roof. She could see the rest of his gang, including Virginia, waiting for her to get up to them. There were some people seemingly apprehensive at the sight of her but it didn't matter. Max was there, and she will protect and guard him with her life, no matter what it takes.

"Max...My Little Master..." The Beastess breathed the words as she took his hand. "You came back."

Max smiled as he gestured some people to pull her up. WarMonger was one of them, and that was when their eyes met. The Beastess was surprised to see the oddity before her. She thought she was the only one in this whole wide world who looked like a hideous freak of nature. She never expected someone to be the same as she was. Somehow, at that split second, she felt that there was something similarity between her and this creature.

Before she get to know more of WarMonger, she suddenly felt a painful stab on her side. She let out a roar of pain as she realized that SkullMaster had snuck up behind her and blasted her with the ring. She could feel that the blast was fatal. She began to slip out of reality and she had lost her grip on the balcony railings. WarMonger quickly reached over and grabbed her cape. Max saw the smug look of victory on SkullMaster's face as he reached over the balcony railings. He couldn't let him get onto the tower. Everything would repeat itself again if he did. Without realizing, he grabbed his father's trident and let out a loud yell as he stabbed it deep into SkullMaster's heart. Blood squirted everywhere, even onto Max, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was keep him away from the railing and away from the castle.

"This is for my Dad."

Those were the last words SkullMaster heard and a pair of sky-blue eyes filled with hate and contempt was the last thing he saw before he was blasted out of the trident's grasp and fell to the solid ground below.

A/N: Hah! Now that's a befitting end for a creep like him! Ya dig? Reviews plz!


	22. Chapter 22The Finale

A/N: What will be the fate of The Beastess and the rest of the crew of MMx? You gotta read to find out! This is the finale, the conclusion of this fairy tale cocktail! Personally, I think beer taste better than cocktail, but what the hey! Read on!

Disclaimer: I do not own Mighty Max and all the characters.

A MIX OF FAIRY TALE COCKTAIL

The Beastess groaned as the rest of Max's gang pulled her up to the balcony of the tower. Max threw the trident aside and rested The Beastess's head on his lap. Rusty, Normie and Virgil stared in horror at their Mistress's condition. She was faltering—and fast.

The Beastess blinked her eyes open and saw Max's face greeting her. She smiled and said weakly, "You...You came back..."

"Of course I came back," Max replied. "I wouldn't let them...Oh crap! This is all my fault! If only I've gotten here sooner..."

"Maybe...it's better...it's better this way..."

"Don't talk like that!" Max shook his head in denial. "We're all together now. Everything's gonna be fine, you'll see."

"At least...I got to see you...one last time...my Little Master..."

Max's heart ached. He didn't think her love for him would make her go this far. He couldn't love her the way she wanted him to, but he knew he had to do something to repay her. Whatever she had done for him was too great a price to pay for her unrequited love for him. He felt so guilty as he let her huge hand caress his face. Then suddenly he felt her hand slip. He heard her final breath escape from her mouth and then there was silence. The animated objects turned towards the window of the East Wing where the bell-jar was (the tower was somewhere near the East Wing) and saw the last petal fall from its stem and its glow diminished. They shook their head in dismay. It was too late. All was lost. They will remain the animated objects they were for the rest of their lives.

"No! No, Beastess! No! Please don't leave me! You're my best friend! You can't die on me! You promised to be a faithful friend and a loyal guardian! You promised! Please don't leave me!" Max yelled in horror at realizing that The Beastess's life had slipped away. He turned desperately to his father and pleaded, "Dad, please help her! Please! Your trident! Please bring her back!"

"I'm sorry, son," Blake said in regret. "My trident has many powers, but it cannot bring back the dead. I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do, Max."

Max let out an agonized yell and buried his face onto The Beastess's breasts. She was his best friend. She was the friend that loved him unconditionally. She was the friend he had come in terms to like despite her grotesque figure. He had seen past her looks and seen her as just a normal human being. No one could replace a great friend such as her. How could all this happen? How could his selfishness get in the way of their friendship? He felt as if he had led her to her doom. He felt as if by appearing in her life, he brought SkullMaster and all this tragedy upon her. Everything had started when he met SkullMaster. It was his fault Fishermen's Friend Village got into this mess. It was his fault his mother was almost taken by him. It was his fault his best friend had died. Max kept on blaming himself as he continued to cry and wail in remorse. Bea, who had awakened after her wounds healed, came over and hugged Max from behind, trying to make him feel better, but he just wouldn't stop crying.

"Poor girl..." WarMonger said as he moved towards The Beastess's dead body. Gently, he moved Max and Bea aside and cradled her head in his arms. There was something inside him that told him he had to do something to make all this pain go away, but he wasn't sure what it was. He let his instincts guide him as he brought The Beastess closer to himself.

Everyone watched in awe as suddenly a bright glow of light emitted out of his chest. The light came out of him and spiraled around WarMonger and The Beastess, engulfing them in a reddish-blue glow that lit up the whole tower. They had to shield their eyes a little from the blinding light as they continued to see the light spiraled around the area of The Beastess's chest. Finally the glow slowly dimmed and a thin line began to form that connected WarMonger's chest with The Beastess's before disappearing as mysteriously as it appeared.

"What the...What's going on?" Norman finally found his voice.

"They're sharing lives," Thor replied, remembering something he had seen in the past. "WarMonger had the power to revive the dead by giving a small piece of his lifeline to them. He's done that loads of times when he finds dead birds in the bell tower. Judging by this action, he's not only giving a piece, he's giving a big piece, and he's sharing it with her. Both of them will have the same lifeline and will live forever unless both of them die together! (**A/N: This concept almost goes the same with Macbeth and Demona in Gargoyles, ya dig?**)"

"Woah, dude! That's what I call colossal, man!" Felix exclaimed in admiration.

The Beastess opened her eyes and got up slowly. The wound inflicted by SkullMaster was gone. The first person she saw was WarMonger grinning at her sheepishly.

"What...What happened?" she asked, puzzled. "I thought I was..."

Max beamed and ran over to hug The Beastess while Thor explained WarMonger's power again. She turned towards WarMonger who still looked a little sheepish. He actually helped someone he had first met? This was the first time anyone would give away their life to save her. She began to grow rather more interested to this WarMonger guy.

The rain had stopped. The sun began to shine out of the horizon. Everyone went out of the castle to see what was left of SkullMaster. He lay on the ground on his own pool of blood, lifeless and motionless, his eyes staring blankly up and his bloody mouth slightly open. The rose had fallen out of his pocket and lay helplessly on the floor, its petals scattered everywhere. The ring was still on his finger. Blake tried his luck and took off the ring. And since he was the true heir, the ring slipped out rather easily. He reached over and closed SkullMaster's eyes. No matter what deed he had done, he was still his half-brother and he still loved him the way he was.

As he stood up, Virginia finally found the courage to approach him. Throughout the whole ordeal, she didn't dare to believe that the man standing before her was her so-called dead husband. Only when she tentatively touched his cheek and felt his warmth was she able to embrace him.

"I missed you, Blake," Virginia whispered. "I thought you were dead."

"I missed you too, Virginia," Blake replied. "And there's something I need to clear up. It wasn't the mermaids who killed me. It was, I regret to say, Scott, my own half-brother."

"I know. I know now. I'm so sorry."

"You've deprived our son of his love for the sea. You knew that the sea was in his blood. You really gave him a hard time. Yes, I've been watching you, Virginia. That wasn't a very nice to do to our son, you know."

Virginia scratched her chin guiltily. For years she had took to believing other people's rumours just to get rid of the grief and pain she felt over her husband's loss. She looked apologetically at Max. Max just shrugged. He knew she would find out about the truth sooner or later. Blake stole a look at Norman's aching look on his face and sighed.

"And I cannot be with you anymore, Virginia. I have found a new life and a new world. I have a family of my own with the Queen of the merpeople, and I'm sorry, but I cannot remain long here."

"That's right, Mrs. Deanhart," Drakeb replied as he stood beside Blake. "King Benedict had a daughter with Queen Fridorithia and I'm officially his son-in-law. Which makes you my stepmother-in-law."

Virginia stared in disbelief at Blake and Drakeb. She was speechless at what her husband was saying. Yet, she didn't know why, but deep down inside her, she felt a sense of relief and acceptance towards Blake's decision. She took a deep breath and asked, "I just need to ask you one question, Blake. Is she really worth it?"

Blake nodded. He then went over and took Norman's hand and put it on Virginia's. He winked and said, "May you two be happy."

Norman and Virginia looked at each other and blushed. There was nothing to hide anymore. Their feelings were mutual. They didn't have to pretend that they didn't like each other. They soon locked themselves in each other's embrace and kissed. Max smiled. Finally they were getting somewhere. Then Blake approached Max and said, "I believe this is yours."

"But...But Dad. You're the true heir of the King of the West. You should be wearing it."

"I already have my own kingdom under the sea. One kingdom is enough for me. Besides, you're my son. What makes you think that you might not be the heir as well? Go on. Try it on. No harm done."

"But the rose," Max stole a look at the broken rose. "Virgil said I need the rose to break the seal of the castle."

"We'll figure that one out later. Try it on."

Max stared at the ring. All this trouble and chaos for a ring (**A/N: Almost like LOTR, don't ya think?**). The ring that had brought both happiness and grief. Finally, after staring it for a long while, Max shrugged and took the ring. This was going to be his final and biggest adventure yet. What else he had to lose.

As he put on the ring, something miraculous happened. A bright light shimmered and Max's cap suddenly changed into the shape of a fully diamond-studded crown. The rose that was broken and scattered suddenly reattached themselves back together and looked brand new. With a blinding speed, the rose shot towards the direction of the room where the altar was and laid itself on the base. Almost immediately, light streamed out of every corner of the castle and everything that was ugly inside and outside the castle became immaculately beautiful. The gargoyles turned to angels and the beasts turned to gods and goddesses statues. Whatever was dark and gloomy from that castle quickly became bright and cheery. The light continued to travel around the castle and began circling itself around the animated objects. One by one, the animated objects changed back their original forms, starting with Rusty and her boyfriend. They turned out to be a pair of couple that stood almost the same height, with Rusty having hair the colour of rust (guess that's where she got her name) and eyes a perfect black and the boyfriend with long flowing brown hair. Come to think of it, Rusty looked almost like the teenage version of Virginia.

Then it was Normie and her son Junior. She turned out looking like a middle-aged version of Phoebe and Junior a boy of maybe 8 or 9 years old with the same hair colour as hers. Later it was Virgil, who turned out to be like a humanoid chicken. Then later it was the rest of the animated objects changing into their human selves. Everyone cheered and beamed in relief at finally becoming the human they once was.

The ring wasn't done yet. Almost automatically, Max was led by the ring towards The Beastess and showered its power at her. She began to transform. Her height shrank down to the 18-year-old height she was supposed to be and her red hair became less fiery. The colour reduced to a normal redhead should have and her scaly green skin slowly peeled off her body, revealing fair, white skin underneath. Her eyes remained copper-brown but she wasn't looking as threatening as she used to. The miraculous thing was that because she shared the same lifeline with WarMonger, he experienced the same change too. His hunchback was gone and his height increased. His red skin was no more and his face morphed into human proportions. His yellow eyes changed colour into blue, matching the dark sea-blue of his hair. His fangs were gone and off went the horns as well and when he tried to talk, his voice didn't have that rasp anymore.

"Woah," Max said in marvel. "Is that how you really look like? I find it hard to believe. And you, WarMonger...you've changed as well! Guess that sharing lifeline gives you quite an advantage. And Virgil, is that you? A chicken?"

"I'm not a chicken, I'm a fowl! I happen to be the last Lemurian after a plague hit my tribe back on an unknown island in British-India (made that up ;P)," Virgil said with pride. "Your ancestor took me in and I've been the master butler ever since."

"R...Rusty...!" The Beastess looked at herself first, then turned towards the servants that had served her throughout the years of her duty to guard the castle. "Normie! Virgil! Look at us!"

"My goodness! This is really a breakthrough!" Normie beamed happily as she hugged and kissed her son.

"It is unbelievable! We're free! We're finally free from our curses at last!" The Beastess exclaimed as she hugged each and everyone. She then hugged Max and said, "Thank you, Max. Thank you so much. I should've known you're the true heir all along. You really are the King of the West!"

"Guess I got good genes," Max grinned as he stole a look at his father.

"I guess it's time for you to take your rightful place on your throne, Your Majesty."

"Yeah, I guess," Max grinned sheepishly before holding out his hand to Bea. "Would you like to join me, my Queen?"

Bea was speechless at first, then blushed and nodded as she took his hand.

"I'd be delighted, my King."

Soon, all's well ends well. Maxwell Deanhart was officially proclaimed the true heir of the King of the West and was crowned, together with his new wife Bea Deanhart, as the New King and Queen of the West. Many people attended the crowning ceremony, from the highest societies to the lowest (that'll be the people of Fishermen's Friend Village). Even King Benedict and his royal family, including Drakeb and Phoebe came to watch the crowning ceremony. An alliance was made between the land and the sea and Max's reign and King Benedict's reign had officially become neighbouring kingdoms. Peter, Pad, Pjer, Pac, Pince, Pablio and Phoebe were welcomed to visit Max anytime they liked, and that goes the same with King Benedict and Queen Fridorithia, and vice versa.

Norman and Virginia were also married a week after Max and Bea's wedding and were crowned as consorts, since Virginia was Max's mother, minus the royal blood. Norman was made a knight and deemed as Lord Norman son of Samson Bear (**A/N: I dunno what's Norman's dad's real name, so I took one of Norman's aliases :p**) and made him in charge of the royal army. The Beastess, or her real name Alexandria Sean, was also made a knight to fight alongside with Norman as a second-in-command. WarMonger changed his name to Angel Disguisia, after the name 'angel in disguise' by the archdeacon, and decided to work in the weaponry and art field, creating weapons for the army and nice sculptures and arts for either the castle or to be marketed out. Alexandria and Angel soon found love in each other and got married a year after Max's reign. They had a nice, quiet elite home built for them somewhere in the woods, with Thor living with them. SkullMaster's body was burned and sent out to sea, just like any self-respecting seaman should be cremated. King Benedict requested it to be so.

"He was my first mate, and die as a first mate he will."

Max never forgot the village where he came from. He pays a visit to the village once in a while and funds it entirely under his expense. Its wellbeings were kept and he ruled in his reign well. 2 years later, Max and Bea became the proud parents of twins, a girl and a boy whom they named Bea Junior and Maxwell Junior, or in royal terms, Bea and Maxwell Deanhart the 2nd. Norman and Virginia, too, became the proud parents of Samson Junior, Normandy and Helena Bear, and Alexandria and Angel the proud parents of Andrew Disguisia. Bea and Maxwell Junior were well taught to be the best successors of the throne and became the best of friends with their uncles and aunt and Andrew, including their mermaid friends Dominique and Dominic, the twins of Phoebe and Drakeb. Their heir continued to flourish and the King of the West and their descendants were well known as the best and most well-liked rulers of the world.

And they lived, as all fairy tale stories go, happily ever after.

A/N: Phew! Finally finished at last! This is the longest fic I've done after Harry Potter (you should check it out: **_The Ones for the Boy Who Lived_**, 24 chapters altogether)! I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I'e enjoyed writing it, although it's kinda tiring! Reviews plz!


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